A Bond Unbreakable
by narnianqueen119
Summary: Edmund and Susan share a special bond that can never break. The bond changes as they grow, but never disappears. EdmundSusan. Volume 1 completed. On indefinite hiatus.
1. V0C1 The Reflections of Two Hearts

**A Bond Unbreakable**

**Rating: **PG  
**Warnings: **The first chapter of the prologue contains slight incestual themes.  
**Summary:** Edmund & Susan want to reflect on the things they have endured during their lives.  
**Disclaimer:** C.S. Lewis owns all characters, unless I say otherwise. I simply use the characters for my own purposes. mwahahaha! Just kidding. Ignore that little outburst, please.  
**A/N:** This section will be used in the future for brief updates. Please read the Author's Note at the bottom of the page (after you finish the chapter) for more information concerning the nature of the volume and more. Thank you, and enjoy!  
**Concerning Reviews:** I do like reviews. Like most people, I do not enjoy flames very much. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone just to post this here. However, if you do feel that you need to flame, please remember that I am a person just like you.  
**I do not support incest in reality. In fact, I am very much against it. I also understand that C.S. Lewis would not like his characters involved in incest. If you do not like reading incest fics, please read the Author's Note at the bottom of the page. Part of this story will not involve incest. Thank you.**

* * *

**Prologue**

Chapter One – The Reflections of Two Hearts

"_And in the end, it's not the years in your life that counts. It's the life in your years." – Abraham Lincoln_

The air was filled with laughter. The wind carried the laughter over the hills, mountains, fields, streams, rivers, oceans, and anywhere else that the wind could possibly blow. The sound of laughter echoed further than it should have gone. Many souls could hear the sound, and some souls took to laughing for themselves. One lone lion stood upon the crest of the highest hill and smiled. For he, too, had heard the sound. And, to him, this was the greatest of all the sounds that a human could make.

Down in the valleys, one could find the source of the spontaneous laughter. It came from a single tent, located between two small hills. The tent was made of shining red and gold, proving that, indeed, it was a Narnian tent. Other tents were more lavishly decorated. But the other Narnians knew that the inhabitants of this tent preferred the simplicity of their tent. Then again, as they were considered royalty, it was very difficult to always maintain this simplicity.

If a person were to enter the tent, which they would not uninvited, they would find two persons sitting on a single soft bed, covered in dark red blankets and golden pillows. The two persons, at this moment, were not doing anything at all in particular. They were only talking.

"Oh, you are always so funny, Ed," a woman laughed. "Though, I daresay, that is true, what you said."

"Of course, it is," answered the man beside her. "Peter's countenance always appears that way whenever we speak of this. He simply cannot help it."

"I can imagine," said the woman. She laid back on the bed, resting her head on top of the soft pillows. "Oh, Edmund," she said, letting her laughter end and her breath escape. She closed her eyes for a moment. Then she lifted herself up partially and began to speak again. "Do you remember the first time that we told him?"

The man, Edmund, smiled at her. "Of course, I do, Su," he answered. "It was quite memorable, as I recall."

"Yes," Susan said, laughing again for a moment. "His face turned as bright red as the stripes on this tent."

"And he had never blushed that much ever before, had he, Su?"

"No," Susan answered. "I don't he ever did after that, either. That was the worst, and I do believe that he knew it. He turned away immediately, trying to hide the obvious blushing. Do you remember?"

"Yes, I remember," said Edmund. "But he was trying desperately to be civil about it."

"Hadn't he known already?" Susan asked, now sitting all the way up off the pillows.

"Yes, I had mentioned it before, and I assume that he had guessed it before," Edmund replied. "Still, I suppose that it was a bit of a shock when we came right out and said it. He did quite a bit of yelling, too, do you remember?"

"Oh, yes, I remember," she said. "He was not thrilled about the idea, was he?"

"No, not at all," Edmund replied with a smile. "He did get over it, though."

"Lucy seemed to be well composed when we mentioned it to her, didn't she?"

"Yes, but, she always had a way of knowing things before we brought it up, and, as I recall, she was altogether thrilled at the announcement," said Edmund.

Susan laughed again. "Yes, she was thrilled, indeed. If she hadn't been a Queen, she would have leapt all over you and me in a moment. As it were, she saved that for later."

"Yes, and that hurt a bit," said Edmund. They both laughed together. "Ah, such wonderful memories we have."

Susan nodded. Her smiled faded slightly, as her mind shifted from funny memories to slightly darker ones. She took Edmund's hand in her own and grasped it tightly. "We certainly had to go through a great deal before that point, didn't we, Ed?" She lifted her eyes to look at Edmund. He took her other hand in his and held it close to him.

"Yes, and after," he said to her. "But you were always strong, through all of it."

She looked up at him again. "I was not, Ed," she said flatly. "There were many times that I failed to do everything that I ought to have done."

"But is failure a measurement of strength?" Edmund asked her, wiping the solitary tear from her eye. "You were stronger than I could have ever imagined."

"You were very strong, too, Ed," she said, leaning her head against his chest. "How could anyone forget the amazing feats of the Just King of Narnia? He was always a personification of strength."

"Oh, you flatter me greatly, Susan," he said, wrapping his arms tightly about her. "I do not think that I was always as strong as you say."

"Oh, but you were, Ed," she replied. "You really were, I'm certain of it."

"Do you know what I think?" Edmund asked her all at once.

"What do you think?" Susan said, sitting up a bit and looking at him with curiosity.

"It is my professional opinion, as the Just King of Narnia, that we – you and I – we were stronger when we were together," he said, taking both of her hands again and squeezing them tightly.

Susan looked up at him and smiled. "Do you really think that's true, Ed?"

"Of course it is, Susan," he answered. "Don't you recall all of the troubles we went through? We were always the strongest when we fought through them together."

"I do believe you are right, Ed," she said, leaning back against his chest again. "Besides," she added after a moment, "anything sounds good when it comes from your mouth."

"Again with the flattery, Su," Edmund said, looking down at her and smiling. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You'll just have to thank me," she answered, smiling back up at him.

"Yes, I will," he said, with a twinkle in his eye. Then, all of a sudden, his hands moved and he began to tickle her on the stomach. Instinctively, Susan leaped out of his arms and fell onto the bed. Edmund leaped on top of her and continued to tickle her. Laughter flowed through the tent, out the flaps, and across the valley again.

"Stop it, Ed!" Susan cried, shaking and cowering under his fingers. "Stop! Stop it!" She tried to suppress his hands, but he was too strong, and he continued to tickle her. "Stop, Ed, please!"

Finally, Edmund stopped tickling and sat back down on the bed beside the still-laughing woman. His own smile was much larger than hers, since he had been the one doing the tickling. After a moment, Susan recovered from the series of blows and began to sit up. Her tousled hair fell over her face, but it did not cover her smile. "I'm going to get you for that," she said, obviously out of breath.

"You'd better," he said. "Or else I'll have to do it again." He smiled at her, and she smirked back.

"For now, I'll let it go," she said, stretching her legs and moving to the side to make room for him to lie down beside her. She patted her hand down on the space beside her, indicating that she wanted him to join her. He obeyed the sign and moved over to the space, and, laying his head down on the pillows, relaxed by her side.

For a moment, neither one said anything. They just lay there, next to each other, immersed in silence and in thought. Susan rolled over and laid her head on top of Edmund, while stretching her hands across him. He put his arm around her as she did so. Susan closed her eyes again as she felt the faint movement of his chest as it rose up and down with his breath. She was in heaven then.

"You know, dear one, perhaps we should try and remember the good memories as well as the bad," said Edmund, breaking the silence and causing Susan's head to turn in his direction. "We certainly do not want to forget what brought us here, now, do we?"

"No, we do not," Susan agreed. Her voice had now shrunk to nearly a whisper. "But do not call the dark memories 'bad', for they were not all completely bad," she added. "They were just... ways of teaching us the things that we needed to learn the most."

"All right, then," Edmund said, giving her a quick tickle to wake her back up. "I shan't call them 'bad' memories any longer, if that will make you happy."

"It will, indeed," she answered. "Though," she added, sitting up again. "I believe that we should try and recall some of those memories, as you suggested. It would be a good way to pass the time – at least until supper."

"Ah, so now the truth comes out," said Edmund, smiling slightly. "You're just looking forward to supper, are you? Lucy's cooking now impresses you a bit?"

"Oh, stop it, Ed," said Susan, laughing. "You are such a joker." She gave him a light slap across the chest. "And, no, Lucy's cooking has never impressed me. Unless she has found an exceptionally good teacher, I do not think that she is going to start impressing me now."

"You are right, of course, dear one," said Edmund. "But, very well. Story time it is, then."

"Right, then," Susan said, sitting up and facing Edmund. "But, where to begin?"

"What about the beginning?" Edmund suggested. "Or, is that too far back for your tastes, love?"

"The beginning sounds absolutely perfect."

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** Thank you all for bothering to read this story, and for bothering to read this note. This is the most important note of the story, so pay attention. I want to inform you all how this story is going to be presented, and what you need to know if you want to read it._

_"A Bond Unbreakable" (ABU) is going to be a three-volume series, followed (hopefully) by another three-volume series. Much of the story will take place in an Alternate Universe setting (which means that I will change canon). ABU will also feature my two favorite Narnian characters, Edmund and Susan. In quite a bit of the story, it will feature these two in an incestuous love relationship. _

_However, for those of you opposed to incest (and I cannot blame you, believe me), there is still hope. The first volume, "Brother and Sister" features these characters in a non-incestuous relationship. This volume follows their journey through "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," the movie-verse, with slight AU once in a while. There is a good amount of character development, and plenty of sibling bonding, and I am very proud of this volume. So, if you prefer not to read incest fiction, I would recommend sticking around just for "Brother and Sister."_

_My hope is that all of you, even those you who not like incest relationships in Narnia, will be able to enjoy this fic, or at least the first volume. Thank you for reading, and review, keeping in mind the notes I wrote about reviewing up above. Thank you all!_


	2. V0C2 When We Were Young

**Warnings:** Light fluff  
**Summary:** Little snippets of moments in Edmund and Susan's childhood.  
**A/N:** Each section is an event in the children's lives. Moments do not necessarily apply to something that will happen later in the story.

* * *

Chapter Two – When We Were Young

"_Children require guidance and sympathy far more than instruction." – Annie Sullivan_

"Daddy, where we going?" asked Susan. She held her father's hand tight as she followed him through the hallway at the hospital. The hall was quiet and smelled too much of clean.

"We're going to see your new brother," answered her father, not looking down at his little girl. Peter followed behind them, trying to keep up.

"Oh," said Susan. "Like Petah?"

Her father nodded. "Yes, Susan, like Peter."

They continued to walk along the hallway. They passed many doorways as they went. Some were open, and others were shut. In one room, a small boy lay on the bed, coughing. Susan felt sorry for the boy, even though she didn't know what was wrong. Finally, they arrived at a doorway at the end of the hall.

Dad pulled the two children aside. "Listen," he said. "Your mother is very tired, so we must be very quiet and very kind to her. And we can't play with the baby. He's much too little. Do you understand?" Susan and Peter nodded quietly, and followed their father as he opened the door.

Stepping inside, they saw their mother in a hospital bed, just like the little boy that Susan had seen. She lay still for a moment, and then sat up when she saw them walk into the room. "Peter... Susan," she said, holding out her arms toward them. The children hurried toward her and gave her a big hug. "Oh, I am very glad to see you," she whispered, kissing each of them on the head.

"Where's my new brother?" asked Peter, pulling away from her embrace. "I want to see him."

"All right," said their mother. "James, could you get the baby?" she asked. She pointed to a small bed on the other side of the room. "He's over there." Dad nodded and began to walk to the other side of the room. He lifted a small bundle out of the bed and carried it back to its mother. He placed it in her arms and stepped back to stand behind the older children.

Mum slowly opened the blanket, revealing a small baby with a little bit of dark hair. The baby opened its small brown eyes and looked up at the people standing above him. "Peter, Susan, this is your new baby brother, Edmund," she said, holding him out a little closer to the children.

Peter stepped in first. "Hello," he said. He put his hand on the baby's forehead and then he rubbed his hair. "It's nice to meet you," he added. Then he stepped back to let Susan in.

Susan came close to the baby and touched his forehead. Then she leaned down and kissed Edmund on the forehead.

"Hello, Emmund. I love you."

* * *

"I wanna play with the ball," whined Edmund. His small hands tried to grab the ball from his older brother's hands, but he was unsuccessful. He fell onto the ground, and after pausing for a moment, he got right back up. He tried to take the ball again, but Peter turned away with ease.

"I had it first," said Peter. "And I'm the oldest, so I get to decide who plays with the ball." He smirked at Edmund, who was on the ground again.

"But I wanna play with it!" Edmund cried again, trying one more time to snatch the ball from Peter's hands. "It's not fair!" he shouted when he was unsuccessful once again to take the ball. He sat down on the ground and crossed his arms and pouted. Peter walked away from him, wearing a contented grin.

"Peter, share the ball with Edmund." Susan stepped out into the sunlight near where Edmund was sitting. "It wouldn't hurt for you to play with him for a little while, would it?" she added.

Peter turned around and looked at Susan. "Oh all right," he said, tossing the ball to Edmund. "You can play with the stupid ball. I don't care." He walked away and went to find something else to play with.

Edmund stood up and threw the ball up in the air. He didn't catch it, but it bounced on the ground back into his arms. He looked at Susan and smiled. "Thank you, Susan," he said. Then he looked down at the ball. "Do you want to play with me?" he asked.

Susan nodded. "Yes, but only for a little while," she said. She held her arms out toward her brother. Edmund tossed the ball to her, and she caught it and threw it back. Edmund laughed as he missed every toss that she threw to him. Susan smiled as she threw him gentle tosses, every one of which he missed. Yet, they both were happy, even if just for a little while.

* * *

"But I don't want a little sister!" Edmund cried. The three children were on their way through the hospital with their father to meet their new baby sister. "I don't, I don't, I don't!"

"I'm sorry, Edmund," said their father. "You'll like her – I promise." He held Edmund's hand tightly as the little boy attempted to wrench himself from his father's grasp. He swung around trying to make his father let go of him, but it was no use.

"Stop it, Ed," said Peter. "You're acting like a baby." Edmund looked up at Peter and stuck out his tongue.

"Edmund, don't stick out your tongue," said Susan. "It's not very nice, and it's rude."

"Sorry," said Edmund, though he wasn't really. He stopped squirming in his father's arms long enough for his father to scoop his up onto his feet, forcing the boy to walk. Tears fell down the boy's cheeks as he realized that he was powerless against the powers of his father and his older siblings.

Susan suddenly felt sorry for Edmund. He was only three years old, he didn't know any better than to behave like this. She put her hand on his shoulder and gently rubbed it. "It's all right, Ed," she said to him.

Edmund looked up at Susan and smiled. "That feels good," he told her. He looked away down the long hallway. He wasn't sure if he wanted to keep going, because going meant that he would have to meet his new sister.

Susan looked down at Edmund and saw his face turned to sadness again. "Do you want to hold my hand, Edmund?" she asked. She held out her hand toward him. She smiled as he looked up at her with curiosity.

Slowly, Edmund let go of his father's hand. "OK," he muttered. He took Susan's hand and clung to it tightly. His hand was sweaty and clammy from working to hard to get away from Dad.

Susan smiled at Edmund again. "There," she whispered. "Is that better?" She shook his hand lightly back and forth in the silly swinging motion that Edmund liked.

"Mm-hmm," Edmund muttered. Then he turned and looked up at Susan. "Susan?" he asked quietly. He looked up at his older sister, his brown eyes flashing with questions.

"Yes, Ed?" answered Susan, not looking down, but continuing to walk straight ahead.

"Will the baby be as pretty as you?"

Susan looked down at Edmund. She wanted to laugh, but she didn't think that it was quite appropriate, considering the circumstances. Instead, she simply chuckled a little. "I certainly hope so, Ed," she answered. They continued to walk down the hall, but now the hall was silent. No one said a word. Occasionally, Edmund would look up at his older sister, but every time she would look back, he would instinctively look away.

At last, they arrived at the end of the hallway. To Edmund, it just looked like a dead end with a door on either side. Susan, on the other hand, recognized this dead end as the same dead end that she had approached three years earlier to meet her little brother.

"Is this where the baby is?" asked Edmund, looking up at Susan instead of looking to his father.

Susan nodded. She held his hand tightly. "Our new sister is right in there," she said, pointing with her other hand toward the door. She led the little boy toward the door. But Edmund stopped. He let go of Susan's hand for a moment, allowing him to stand where he was. Susan turned and looked at her little brother.

"What is it, Ed?" she asked, watching her father and Peter go through the door, leaving them behind. "Are you all right?" Edmund shook his head. A few tears rolled down his cheeks and he put his small left hand up to his eyes to wipe them. "What's wrong?" Susan asked, kneeling next to her little brother. She put her hand on his shoulder and ruffled his hair.

"If I get a sister, will you go away, Susan?" he muttered. He tried to keep the tears from falling, but they didn't stop.

Susan smiled at her little brother. "No," she said. She kissed him on his cheek, wet with sadness. "I will never go away, Edmund."

Edmund wiped his tears as he smiled. "OK," he muttered. He held out his hand to Susan. Susan pulled him in to her and gave him a big hug.

"Come on, Ed," she said, leading him toward the door. And this time, he followed her.

* * *

There weren't many parks in London, and so the few parks that existed were well-loved and well-used. At any moment of time in the day, you could see dozens of children running around enjoying the fresh air, and parents happy to be free for a little while of constantly watching out for their kids.

One such afternoon, the four little Pevensie children were at the park with their mother. Their father was working, so he was unable to be there. Mrs. Pevensie held little Lucy, who was only about six months old. The others were elsewhere enjoying their chance to run and play.

"I wanna go on the slide, Susan!" cried Edmund as he dashed toward it. He reached the tall slide and began to scramble up the ladder.

"Be careful, Edmund," called Susan. She went to the other side of the slide in order to catch him when he came down. He reached the top and began to slide. Susan held out her arms and grabbed the boy as he reached the bottom.

Edmund laughed and jumped out of her arms. "Let's go again!" he shouted and dashed for the back of the slide again. He quickly scrambled up the ladder and soon he was down in Susan's arms again.

This pattern continued so many times that Susan began to lose count. Each and every time Edmund would come flying down the slide, and each and every time Susan caught him.

At last, Susan told Edmund that she was going to go play with Peter, and that she wanted to stop. She walked away from the slide and started over toward Peter. But as she went, Edmund ran back over to the slide. He scrambled up, and came down, but this time, there was no one there to catch him. He wasn't used to stopping by himself, so Edmund tumbled off the slide onto the hard ground.

Susan turned around quickly when she heard Edmund crying. She dashed over to see what the matter was, and found her brother sitting in the dirt holding his knee. "Let me see it," she demanded, and pried his hand from his knee. She saw that he had scraped it. It wasn't a bad cut, but she knew that it had to hurt. "What happened?" she asked, removing her hand and allowing Edmund to grab his knee again.

"I fell," he murmured between sobs.

"Why did you fall?" Susan asked.

"You weren't there to catch me," Edmund answered. Tears continued to run down his face as he looked up at his older sister.

Susan put her arms around Edmund and hugged him tight. "I'm sorry," she said. "I promise that I'll always be there to catch you from now on," she added.

Edmund nodded. "My knee still hurts," he said quietly.

Susan lifted him off the ground and helped him start to walk. "Mum can fix that," she said. And together they walked toward their mother so that she could heal Edmund's wound.

* * *

After Edmund had started school, things began to change in the Pevensie house. For the first time, Lucy was the only child at home during the day, and all three of the older children had to go to school. But after school, there were problems among the children. Lucy wasn't accustomed to sharing her things with the older children. Peter acted his age, which was too old for the smaller children.

As this pattern continued, tensions began to rise between Peter and Edmund, which for the first time, seemed to be a constant struggle. Peter hated the way Edmund always acted, despite the fact that he was only five years old. Edmund hated that Peter always got to be in charge.

Fights broke out often, and Mrs. Pevensie never knew what to do to stop it. She would send the boys to their rooms, but it never really worked. Peter would stomp away and slam the door. Edmund would run crying to his room, hearing shouts of 'Cry-baby!' as he went.

Susan hated these fights. Lucy never really understood – she was only two. Mrs. Pevensie was merely trying to regain the peace in the house. But these fights hurt Susan somewhere deep inside of her. She knew that the boys could control themselves – they just chose not to. Peter was always trying to act older than he was. Edmund couldn't be expected to act grown up – he was only five.

In the long run, Susan couldn't choose sides among her brothers. Peter had always been one of her best friends and playmates, and she knew that being grown-up was good. But she also sympathized with little Edmund, who was always overlooked by everyone, especially by his older brother.

One afternoon, there was another fight. Screams and insults flew between the boys. Lucy hid in her bedroom under the bed, afraid that one of her brothers would come and get her. The boys were sent to their rooms again. Susan ran to Lucy's room and found her underneath her bed. She pulled her out and held her on her lap. She comforted the little girl and got her to start playing with her ABC blocks.

Then, Susan stepped out into the hallway. She debated whether she should talk to Peter or to Edmund. She finally decided to go and talk to Edmund. She could talk to Peter later. She walked toward Edmund's doorway and knocked.

"Go away!" a voice came from inside the room.

"Edmund, it's Susan," she called back. She knocked on the door again. "Ed, let me in!"

"No!" the voice came back. Something hit the door, as if someone inside had thrown a stuffed toy or something at it.

"Ed," Susan tried again. When no one answered, Susan took the liberty to just walk into the room. She saw a little boy dart underneath the bed as she entered. Susan sat down on the bed and waited. She moved her feet up and down and bounced on the squishy mattress. She waited some more, hoping that the little boy might gather enough courage to come and talk to her.

Eventually, Edmund reappeared from under the bed. He climbed up next to his sister and sat down. He began moving his feet up and down just like she did. Soon they were both giggling.

"I'm sorry, Susan," Edmund said at last. He gave his sister a big hug to show that he meant it.

"It's all right," she replied, hugging him back. "You were just upset," she added.

"Well, Peter makes me mad," Edmund muttered. "He always thinks that he's the boss, and he isn't!"

"That does happen sometimes, doesn't it?" said Susan. "But Peter is older, and he usually knows what's better to do."

"Not always," said Edmund. "He doesn't understand." Edmund pulled away from Susan and looked toward the wall.

"No," agreed Susan. "He doesn't always understand. But he loves you, Ed. He really does."

"No, he doesn't," said Edmund. "He doesn't like me at all!"

"That's not true," answered Susan. "He loves you very much. We all do." She sighed. "He just finds it hard to show you, that's all."

"Are you sure?" asked Edmund, turning back to look at his big sister.

"I'm sure," replied Susan, taking his hand. "Now, would you like to go get a snack? You'll have to be in bed soon."

"All right." Edmund got up and followed Susan to the kitchen, where they found some nice hot cookies waiting for them.

* * *

Despite Susan's attempts at comforting Edmund, the fights continued for a while. Whenever Dad was home, the house was perfectly peaceful – most of the time. Perhaps it was because Dad was good at keeping the boys occupied enough that they didn't need to fight. Whatever it was, Susan liked it. In fact, they all liked the peace and quiet that came whenever Dad was home.

But good things cannot last forever. Years had passed since the fights began. Things in the Pevensie household had calmed down a bit. The fights were now very infrequent. At worst, there was a fight every couple of weeks. But other than that, everything in the house was peaceful. All the children began to grow up. Their parents watched with joy as they began to mature, especially Peter and Susan, who were quickly becoming teenagers.

One day, however, news came to the Pevensie house that would change the course of each of the children's lives. The draft had been enacted, and Mr. James Pevensie was on the list to serve in the army. Britain had been pulled into the war, and the army went along with it. Mr. Pevensie had to pack up his things and prepare to be deployed immediately.

The day finally arrived when Dad would be leaving. They all rushed down to the train station so that they could take a long time to say their good-byes. When they got to the station, it was full of people – men in uniforms, and their families in tears. The Pevensies were hardly different, except that tears had not yet filled the eyes of the family.

At one point, they all stopped. Dad set down his luggage and turned to face them. "I've got things to say to each of you," he said. "Then, I'll be off, and I promise, I'll come home to see you again." He could see tears already beginning to form in the eyes of his wife.

First, he came over to Peter. He didn't have to stoop or kneel to reach his oldest son. "Be a good man, son," he said. "Watch out for your mother, and your brother, and your sisters. Keep them safe, no matter what happens. Understand?"

"I understand," said Peter. He gave his father a hug, then pulled away. He bowed slightly. "Good luck, Dad."

Then Dad turned to Susan. "I know things have been difficult for you, my sweet daughter," he said to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "All I want from you is that you'll grow to be whoever you choose to be. Just be Susan Pevensie, and that's all I can ask for. Can you handle that?"

"I can, Dad," she said. She threw her arms around her father and held him tight. She didn't want to let go, but she knew that he had to say good-bye to the others, so, reluctantly, she let him out of her grasp.

Dad turned next to Edmund. He knelt down to be closer to his boy, who was growing faster than he had expected. "Ed, I know that you are a strong boy. That's what I want from you. Just be that strong boy that I know you are. And behave yourself. Listen to your mother, and to Peter, and be strong. You'll be all right, now, won't you?"

"Yes, Dad, I will," answered Edmund. When Dad embraced him, Edmund shut his eyes and pretended that they could just stay like this forever. He didn't want Dad to go. He knew that things were going to change after Dad left. It felt like a piece of his heart had been torn out when Dad began to pull away. Edmund didn't want to let go, but his hands let go anyway. Edmund decided right then that he wanted to learn how to keep control of those hands, so he wouldn't ever have to let go of anything again if he didn't want to.

Dad turned then to Lucy. "My dear, sweet little Lucy," he said, picking her up off the ground. "Be a good girl for me, all right? Do what you're told, and try to have some fun. Can you do that for me?"

"Mm-hmm, Dad, of course," she said. She gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll miss you, Dad," she said.

"I'll miss you, too, Lucy," he said. He set her back down on the ground. Then he turned to his wife. He threw his arms around her, kissed her, and told her just how much he loved her. "I'll be counting the days until I see you again," he said, and with a last "I love you," he stepped away.

"Well," he said, as the tears flowed down the cheeks of several of the Pevensie family members, "I'd best be off. I'll miss you all, and I never want you to forget just how proud I am of this family." He scooped up his bags. "Good-bye, everyone," he said, and with that, he turned, and went off toward the train. And with that, the peace of the Pevensie household slowly began to float away.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** And here we have the second part of the prologue. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it._

_This chapter was originally written as the first chapter of the first volume. In case you were wondering, this is actually my third go-round at putting this story together. This chapter was not included in the second try, and now it's back. It really doesn't have a lot to do with what is going to occur in the story. However, I loved writing about the characters as little children, and I thought that this chapter would give you a greater sense of the bond between Susan and Edmund. It's sort of like a bonus chapter, if you will. I hope you liked it, and don't forget to leave me some reviews._


	3. V1C1 The Beginning of Change

**Warnings:** N/A  
**Summary:** An evacuation sends Susan Pevensie to a new place. And certain events will send her somewhere else.  
**A/N:** This chapter begins the first volume of A Bond Unbreakable.

* * *

**Volume One: Brother and Sister**

Chapter One – The Beginning of Change

"_It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." – Alan Cohen_

That afternoon at the train station, Susan did not think that she would be able to hold herself together. She tried so hard to maintain the little strength that she had left, but it was running out, fast. Whenever her mother looked in her direction, she smiled, and whenever she thought about it, she stood up just a little bit taller. She wanted to give the impression that she was mature enough to handle this.

After all, she was supposed to be the practical one in the family. She was supposed to be the logical, mature, grown-up in the family. She understood why they were being evacuated. She knew that this all had a reason. She was prepared to leave London for her own safety and for the safety of the rest of her family.

So, why was she so scared? After all, this was absolutely necessary, wasn't it? She couldn't understand why she was so afraid.

She looked at her brothers and sisters. They didn't look any calmer than she was, except for, perhaps, Peter. His face was expressionless, as it had been so many times since Dad had gone away to war. Lucy, the littlest, looked as if she were about to cry. That was to be expected. She was only a little girl, after all, and couldn't be expected to be calm in a situation like this.

And Edmund was, as usual, standing with a large scowl spread across his face. He rarely had any other expression these days, unless it happened to change to a more upset-looking frown. Susan wondered if she would ever see her brother smile again. It certainly had been a long time since she had seen it last. But, after Dad had gone off to war, and Ed had gone off to the new school with Peter, things had gotten much worse around the house.

Then Susan turned toward her mother, who, just as Susan turned, handed her a name tag. Susan took it and attached it to her coat. It was just a simple tag with her name and the name of the station that they were to get off at written on it. But, as Susan looked down at it, she felt emptier inside. She pushed it aside, unable to look at it any longer.

She looked over at Edmund again. This time, though his scowl was still present, he was not simply looking off into space. He was now gazing at a nearby poster that advertised and encouraged the ongoing evacuation. "The country is boring," he said after he finished reading it.

"Boring is safe, Edmund," Susan told him, flatly. It may not have been the nicest thing to say, but to Susan it was the truth. And safety was the most important thing right now, in Susan's opinion.

"If Dad were here, he wouldn't make us go," Edmund complained.

"If Dad were here, then the war would be over and we wouldn't have to go," Peter yelled at him. Susan flinched, the same way she did every time the boys got into a fight: subtlely, but surely. She would have told Peter to stop, but she couldn't find the words.

A short time later, their mother had said good-bye to each of them in turn. It had nearly broken Susan to say good-bye without crying. She felt tears trying to come out, but she somehow managed to hold them inside. When she pulled away from Mum's embrace, she smiled weakly, hoping that it would be enough.

Then Mum backed up, looked at all of them with a slow smile, and said, "Well, now. Off you go." Susan nodded slightly and bent to pick up her suitcase. The other children did the same. They all turned around, looked at the train, and began to walk toward the platform. Susan wanted to look back at her mother, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Once they were all on the train, Susan's time was spent holding Lucy, reading the book that she had brought with her, and holding Lucy again. Occasionally, Susan found the chance to glance over at her brother. Edmund was seated at the window, staring out at the world as it passed by. He was looking more upset than angry now, and Susan knew that he was feeling the same way that she was. The only difference was that Edmund wasn't afraid to show the way he felt, unlike her.

* * *

Susan had been very sure that she would not enjoy her time at the Professor's home. She had tried to convince herself that she would find some way to have a bit of fun, but it didn't matter. She still found herself bored to tears nearly all the time. She couldn't say that she hadn't tried. On that first rainy afternoon, she had played a word game with Peter. Though, no one seemed to enjoy that. Edmund even bothered to call it "the worst game ever invented." Susan had not appreciated that, but still, she knew that it was somewhat true.

Then, Lucy suggested that they play hide-and-seek. Nobody had accepted the offer at first, but after a little begging, Peter began counting. Edmund looked shocked, but he stood up anyway and began to look for a place. Susan did the same, though she was not as annoyed as Edmund had been.

Soon, Susan had found a place to hide. She pulled open a trunk that sat on the floor and climbed inside. She shut the door on top of her, and waited. She sat there, still barely able to hear Peter's voice as he counted to one hundred. When he reached one hundred, he shouted, "Ready or not, here I come!" Then Susan sat quieter than ever, feeling the strange intensity as she hid from his sight.

But surprisingly, a moment later, she heard Lucy's voice. "It's all right! I'm back! I'm all right!" she shouted. Susan could even hear her running through the halls. She wondered why Lucy was shouting during a game of hide-and-seek.

Then Susan heard Peter say, "You know, I don't think that you two have quite got the idea of this game." Susan realized that he had already found Edmund, as well. She scrambled out of the trunk and made her way to where the others were standing. Lucy was looking very confused, and Edmund was looking very frustrated.

"Does this mean I win?" Susan asked.

"I don't think Lucy wants to play anymore," Peter told her.

"But I've been...gone for hours," Lucy said softly.

They all looked at Lucy. None of them understood what was going on, especially Susan, who had missed everything that Lucy had already said. But soon, Lucy had updated them on the adventure that she had found in the wardrobe in the spare room. She told them all about Tumnus, the faun, and the long winter that he had told her about.

"Just come and look," Lucy told them when she had finished. "You'll see – it's really there." She ran back toward the spare room, signaling for the others to follow her. And they did, even though none of them believed her at all.

Susan was the one who opened up the wardrobe and peered inside. She moved all the coats aside and knocked on the back of the wardrobe. Just as she had expected, there was nothing there. She sighed, and backed out of the wardrobe. She turned to Lucy, who looked rather excited.

"Lucy, the only wood in there is the back of the wardrobe," she said.

"One game at a time, Lu," added Peter. "We don't all have your imagination."

"But...it really was there," Lucy replied, wondering why they couldn't get in through the wardrobe.

"That's enough, Lucy," Susan said as they all walked away.

"I wouldn't lie about this!" Lucy nearly screamed at them.

"Well, I believe you," said Edmund suddenly. Susan quickly looked over at him. She wondered what he could possibly be talking about. He certainly didn't believe her – that wasn't like Edmund at all.

And Lucy wondered the same thing. "You do?" she asked, suddenly changing her tone.

"Of course," said Edmund. "Haven't I told you about the football field in the bathroom cupboards?"

Immediately, Susan answered her own question. Of course Edmund would say something like this. She didn't know why he bothered, though. It just made Peter even angrier than he was already.

"Oh, will you just stop," Peter told him. "You just have to make everything worse, don't you?"

"It was just a joke," Edmund argued back.

"When are you gonna learn to grow up?" Peter sneered at him.

"Shut up!" Edmund shouted suddenly, rushing at Peter. "You think you're Dad, but you're not!" Then he turned and ran out of the room as quickly as he could. He brushed by Susan, pushing her out of the way as he ran.

Then Susan turned toward Peter. Once again, he had failed to handle the situation correctly and made things worse. "Well, that was nicely handled," she told him. Then she turned away and hurried out to follow Edmund. Someone needed to talk to him, and the only logical person would be herself. She dashed through the hallways, stopping momentarily every once in a while to listen for the sound of Edmund's footsteps. Sometimes they were quiet steps, but sometimes, she could hear them plainly.

At last, she found Edmund in his hiding place. He had left a door open that typically was not open. Inside was another spare room. Susan went inside and looked around for her brother. Finally, though she didn't know why, she checked the window. And there he was, seated out on the roof outside of the window. She opened the window and scrambled out. Her good sense told her not to, but she had to get to Edmund, anyway.

Edmund was rather startled and turned around at the sound of the window opening. He was even more surprised to see Susan climbing out the window up to join him. But, he maintained his look of anger and turned away again. "What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"Well, if you're at all interested," said Susan, "I would like to speak with my little brother."

"Mm-hmm."

Susan paused for a moment. She hadn't actually thought about what to say next. But, she never had been good at planning ahead what she was going to say. She was better at improvisational speaking in any situation. "Do you want to talk about what happened back there?" she asked, realizing as she said it that it wasn't the best thing to say to Edmund right now.

"I guess so," said Edmund, still not bothering to turn around.

Susan sighed. "I know Peter wasn't handling the situation right," she began, "but you weren't exactly being a perfect child either."

"It was just a joke."

"Perhaps, but it wasn't very nice, you know."

"But Lucy's just playing, anyway," Edmund said. "Why couldn't I play, too?"

"Ed..." Susan began, but she ran out of words. "I'm sorry, Ed. But, sometimes, jokes are meant to be kept to yourself."

"Oh," said Edmund. For the first time in the conversation, he turned to Susan. "I suppose I should say I'm sorry, too. It's just that..." Edmund sighed. "It's just that I can't help it. I just make jokes all the time, and I don't know why. And then Peter has to get angry at me for no reason. I mean, he's not Dad, and he never has been, right?"

Susan nodded. "I know Peter isn't Dad," she said. "But, he's doing his best to look after you – and the rest of us, too – like Dad wanted."

"I still don't like it," Edmund muttered.

"I understand, Ed," said Susan. "Just...try not to get so angry next time." She smiled at Edmund, trying to make him feel a little better. Then, she turned and slowly climbed back into the house. Not to her surprise, Edmund didn't follow. But, Susan thought she saw a glimpse of a smile when she looked back out at him. She smiled to herself and left the room.

* * *

Late that evening, Susan woke up suddenly as she heard footsteps running through the hall. She sat up quickly and looked over to the other side of the bed. Lucy was missing. Susan jumped out of bed, grabbed her bathrobe, and hurried out to the hall. She ran to the boys' room, where the sound of footsteps had been heading.

She hurried into the room when she got there. Lucy was jumping up and down on Peter's bed. Susan arrived just in time to hear her say, "Narnia! It's all in the wardrobe, like I told you!"

"You must have been dreaming, Lucy," Susan said as she hurried over to the bed.

"But I haven't!" Lucy cried. "I saw Mr. Tumnus again! And this time, Edmund went, too!"

Peter and Susan's heads turned quickly toward Edmund, who jumped a bit when Lucy said it. "You saw the faun?" Peter asked him. Edmund shook his head.

"Well, he didn't actually go there with me," Lucy said a little softer. She climbed off the bed as she said it. Then, she turned to Edmund with a curious look in her eyes. "What were you doing, Edmund?"

Susan looked at Edmund, waiting for a response. She honestly had no idea what he would say. Most likely, he would have something rather nasty to say.

"I was...just playing along," he said at last. Susan rolled her eyes. Why did Lucy have to go on about this, anyway? "I'm sorry, Peter, I shouldn't have encouraged her," Edmund continued. "But, you know how little children are these days. They just don't know when to stop pretending." He said down on the bed behind him with a smile on his face.

As he said this, Lucy's face turned red and tears began to fill her eyes. Within a moment, she burst into tears and ran out of the room. Susan rolled her eyes again at Edmund and dashed out after her little sister. She was followed closely behind by Peter, who managed to push Edmund over onto the bed as he ran by.

Susan and Peter ran through the halls after Lucy as fast as they could. They stopped short when they saw their sister clinging to an older man, presumably the Professor, whom they were not supposed to disturb. A moment later, they heard Mrs. Macready's voice coming down the hall. "You children are one shenanigan shy of sleeping in the stable..." She stopped when she saw the Professor with Lucy. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir," she said immediately. "I told them – you were not to be disturbed."

"Oh, it's quite all right," said the Professor, calmly. "Though, I think this one is in need of a little hot chocolate." He sent Lucy off with Mrs. Macready toward the kitchen. As they left, Susan and Peter both began to quietly sneak away. They didn't want to have to speak to the Professor. But, it was too late. A stern cough told them to stay.

Their discussion with the Professor was brief, and only had a small impact on Susan. The Professor suggested believing Lucy. But that was out of the question. There couldn't possibly be a magical land inside a wardrobe. Besides, the real problem wasn't about magical lands, right? It was about the things going on in the real world and why they were having so much trouble at home. Susan didn't believe in fairy tales anymore – she believed in finding real answers to real problems.

* * *

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly outside, and Susan suggested that they all play outside that day. She thought that, maybe, it would ease some of the tension that was quickly growing even stronger between them. The events of yesterday had been chaotic, to say the least, and Susan hoped for an end to the "excitement."

They began to play with an old cricket set that they had found in a closet. That is, all the children began to play, except for Lucy, who was still very upset about the events of the day before. She sat under a tree, reading a book and looking very glum. Susan didn't bother to try to convince her to join, since she knew that Lucy wouldn't play even if she was asked.

But as they played, it was obvious to Susan that Edmund did not really want to play. He had been acting strangely since the night before. And besides being very distracted during the game, he kept staring up toward the higher windows in the house.

"Come on, Ed, you can hit the ball," she said at one point. "Watch out for it!"

Then Peter got ready to bowl the ball. "And Peter winds up, poised to take yet another wicket!" He threw the ball right at Edmund's leg.

"Ow!" he screamed. He pulled himself out of his state of distraction.

"Whoops!" said Peter, laughing. "Wake up, Dolly Daydream!"

"Why can't we play hide-and-seek again?" Edmund asked suddenly.

"I thought you said it was a kid's game," said Peter while walking back to where he had stood before.

Susan quickly sensed tension growing again. "Besides...we could all use the fresh air," she said.

"It's not like there isn't air inside," Edmund argued back.

"Are you ready?" Peter asked.

"Are you?" Edmund replied, knocking the bat on the ground. A moment later, the ball was bowled, and it had flown through the windows that Edmund had been looking at only moments before. Edmund jumped back and Susan looked up at the window, horrified. As soon as the shock wore off, the children darted into the house and up to the site of the window.

As they stood looking at the window, Susan knew instantly how much trouble they would be in. Mrs. Macready was already in a fuss because of what had happened the night before, and really, from everything they had done since they got here.

"Oh, well done, Ed," Peter said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"You bowled it!" Edmund yelled.

A noise from the hallways kept the conversation from going any further. "The Macready!" Susan cried.

"Run!" yelled Peter, and the children did not mind listening to him. They took off as fast as they could. They ran through the hallways, stopping at locked doors, turning when they heard noises, and finally arriving at an unlocked door. They hurried into the room with the open door. Edmund ran instantly to the wardrobe, for that was the room they had found. He opened the door and turned to his siblings. "Come on!" he beckoned.

"You have got to be joking," Susan said, backing away. The wardrobe was too small to fit all of them. And besides that, it was the wardrobe that had gotten them into all this trouble. Why should they encourage Lucy's behavior even further? But they did not have the time to debate it for very long. They heard a noise out in the hallway, and without any further convincing, the children took off. Susan hurried into the wardrobe behind Edmund and backed up. She still wondered how they would all fit inside. But, at the moment, that was one of the least of Susan's concerns.

The last thing that Susan noticed before the real adventure started was that she could no longer feel Edmund in front of her in the wardrobe.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** Now, we have officially entered the realm of Volume 1. As I said before, this volume is strictly sibling bonding. There will be plenty of it, so I hope you enjoy that._

_I think my favorite part of this chapter was the small scene where Susan talks to Edmund on the roof. Every time I watch the film, I see Susan run off after Edmund while Peter finishes talking to Lucy. I got the chance to develop what she might have said to him when she found him._ _Besides, it was a chance for me to stray from movie-verse, slightly. I also like the last sentence, for some reason. It's rather symbolic. (Hint, hint)_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Stay tuned for more._


	4. V1C2 Into A New World

**Warnings:** N/A  
**Summary:** Narnia isn't just a dream - it's really there.  
**A/N:** Chapter set in movie-verse.

* * *

  
Chapter Two – Into A New World

_I've seen a new world...  
__Like nothing before just step through the door right  
__Into a new world... into Narnia.  
__-from 'New World' by TobyMac_

Oomph! Susan tumbled onto the ground into something soft and wet. She knew the feeling on her hands instantly, but did not want to find out if what she felt was really true. It couldn't be, could it? But when she turned her head and moved the tree branches out of her way, she saw that, indeed, she was now in the middle of a snowy forest. She stood up and gazed around. But all that she could say was, "Impossible."

As Susan fell through, Edmund stood by and watched. For some reason, he had known that they would make it to Narnia when they went through the wardrobe, and he had been right. He and Lucy went right through the wardrobe with no trouble, while Susan and Peter fell onto the ground.

He had been so excited at first when he found that the only open room was the spare room with the wardrobe. He knew that this was his chance to bring them to see the Queen. And then, he would get everything he ever wanted. And for once, he would be able to be the boss, and Peter would have to do what he said.

"Don't worry," Lucy said to Susan. "I'm sure it's just your imagination." She smiled with delight.

"I don't suppose that an apology will quite cover it," Peter said sweetly.

"No," Lucy answered. But then she produced a snowball and threw it at his head. "But that might!" she shouted. Moments later, Susan, Peter, and Lucy were engaged in a full-fledged snowball fight.

Edmund turned away and looked up at the hills. _Just a short distance and we'll be there,_ he thought. His thought was suddenly interrupted by a snowball on his arm. He quickly turned his head. Susan had thrown it and had gone to get another. "Ow!" he cried. The snowball fight stopped abruptly. "Stop it!" he said, more quietly.

Peter suddenly stopped being sweet and turned to Edmund in anger. "You little liar!" he shouted.

"You didn't believe her either!"

"Apologize to Lucy!" Peter shouted even louder. "Say you're sorry!"

"All right," Edmund said quietly. "I'm sorry!"

"It's all right," Lucy said. "Some little children just don't know when to stop pretending." Edmund smirked. _You're so funny,_ he thought. _Ha ha ha_.

"Maybe we should go back," said Susan, changing the subject.

"Shouldn't we at least have a look around?" Edmund asked. He knew that this was the only way that he could get them to go further on.

"I think...Lucy should decide," said Peter. They all looked over at their little sister, whose face lit right up.

"I want you all to meet Mr. Tumnus!" she cried happily, her eyes shining brightly.

"Then Mr. Tumnus it is!" Peter replied. Then he went back toward the wardrobe.

"But we can't go hiking in the snow dressed like this," Susan argued, shivering as she said it.

"Well, then I don't think the Professor will mind us borrowing a few of these," said Peter as he re-emerged, holding several large fur coats. "Besides, if you think about it...logically," he said as he handed one to Susan, "we're not even taking them out of the wardrobe." Susan grimaced at him but she took a coat anyway.

Then he handed one to Lucy and one to Edmund. "But that's a girl's coat!" Edmund whined.

"I know," said Peter, forcing him to take the coat. Edmund took it, reluctantly. He wasn't surprised that Peter had given him a girl's coat. After all, Peter was never nice to him, not since Dad had gone away. In fact, after the war had started, Peter had been nothing but nasty to him. And Edmund was nasty back. He knew that as well as anyone. But Peter had started it.

Then they all started off toward the home of the infamous faun, Mr. Tumnus. None of them spoke for several minutes as they wandered through the snow. Edmund, especially, did not want to have a conversation with anyone. All that he cared about was that they were here, at the very least. As long as they remained in Narnia, there was a chance that he could find some way to get them to the Queen's home. And that was all he was concerned with.

The sight of the lamp-post in the clearing reminded Edmund of his first trip to Narnia the night before. But, while the others marveled over the lamp-post, Edmund paid it little attention. It no longer seemed strange to him, for some reason.

The snow was cold, and Edmund was colder. But, he forced himself to keep moving. Moving would make him warm, and moving would bring them closer to his preferred destination. Of course, he still did not know how to get them to come with him. It was a known fact that they never did what he said, not ever.

But, at last, they reached the faun's home. By this point, Lucy had begun to tell them all about the wonderful things that they would find when they got there. She was just going on about sardines and cakes when she stopped short, looked into the side of a rock formation, gasped, and began to run. Peter followed after her, and Susan and Edmund came behind, as well.

Upon entering the house, Edmund got a strange sort of feeling. Looking around, he saw that someone had already been here. And they hadn't come in peace. Objects of all sorts were scattered all over the floor - broken, shattered, and in pieces. And when he saw the broken pieces, Edmund began to feel a slight pang of guilt. The feeling scared him, and he didn't like it at all. He brushed it aside, but it was still there, pulling at his insides.

"Who would do something like this?" Lucy whispered. There was a hint of sadness and misunderstanding in her voice. Peter and Susan looked around and saw little more than Edmund did. But Lucy saw more than ruin; she saw the destruction of the home of a friend.

Then Peter pulled a paper off of the wall. He began to read the notice. As he read it, Edmund realized why he had begun to feel this guilt. Mr. Tumnus had been arrested, and Edmund had been the one to give out the information for the arrest. He hadn't meant to, of course.

"All right," said Susan. "Now we really should go back."

"But what about Mr. Tumnus?" asked Lucy.

"It's out of our hands, Lu," Peter told her.

"You don't understand, do you?" said Lucy. "I'm the human. She must have found out he helped me." Edmund turned his head away. He certainly couldn't let them know about his meeting with the Queen now.

"Maybe we should call the police," Peter suggested.

"These are the police," Susan replied, holding up the notice.

"Don't worry, Lu, we'll think of something," Peter said to Lucy.

"Why?" Edmund asked suddenly. He wanted to turn the attention away from the faun and to something else, possibly. The children turned to Edmund. Susan's look alone pierced Edmund's heart a bit. But he continued. "I mean, he's a criminal," he added.

The others would have said something more to him, but a slight distraction got their attention. From outside the cave, a sound like a whisper emerged. When the children looked outside, all they saw was a bird on the tree that stood by the door. Susan looked back at Peter and Lucy with wonder filling her face.

"Did that bird just "pssst" us?" she asked.

Then Peter took Lucy's hand and led her out to the tree. Susan and Edmund followed, a little slower. As they stepped out, the bird flew away. This puzzled several of the children, or at least Edmund. Why would a bird "pssst" them if it just wanted to fly away?

Just then, Edmund heard rustling noises coming from the bushes beside them. The other children heard the noises too. They were nearly frozen in place, though they kept moving. Susan clung to Peter and Lucy clung to Susan. Edmund stood by himself. He wasn't about to cling to any one of them, of course.

At last, they saw what the cause of the noise was. As Lucy said, "It's a beaver!" And it was, indeed, a beaver. It crawled toward them on all fours. After a moment, Peter stepped forward, put his hand out, and began beckoning the beaver toward him. The beaver crept toward them. When it reached Peter's hand, it stood up on its hind legs.

"Well, I ain't gonna smell it, if that's what you want," the beaver said. Edmund gasped in shock. Did the beaver just talk to them? Fortunately, Edmund was getting used to strange things in Narnia. Otherwise, he might have been as shocked as the others.

"Sorry," said Peter, pulling his hand back and standing up right. He looked at Susan and Lucy, wondering if they had just heard what he had heard.

"Lucy Pevensie?" the beaver asked, holding up his hands.

Lucy stepped forward slowly. "Yes?" she asked the beaver back. The beaver held up a white handkerchief and gave it to her. "Hey, that's the hankie I gave to Mr. Tum..."

"Tumnus," the beaver interrupted, nodding. "He got it to me just before they took him."

"Is he all right?"

The beaver got back down on all fours and looked around. "Further in," he whispered. Then he ran off in the direction he had appeared. Edmund looked at Susan and she looked back at him. Edmund knew one thing for certain – he was not going to follow that beaver. But, Peter and Lucy began to move in that direction.

Susan ran up and grabbed Peter's shoulder. He turned around and looked at her. "What are you doing?" Susan asked.

"She's right," Edmund agreed, knowing that this could lead to no good. "How do we know we can trust him?"

"He said he knows the faun," Peter said, shrugging his shoulders.

"He's a beaver," Susan replied. "He shouldn't be saying anything!" Edmund nodded in agreement.

Then the beaver appeared on top of some nearby rocks. "Is everything all right?" he asked. The children looked at each other.

"Yes," said Peter. "We were just talking."

"That's best left for safer quarters."

"He means the trees," said Lucy. All the children looked around at the trees. Then Lucy and Peter began to follow the beaver again. This time, Susan and Edmund went too. But Edmund began to feel that strange sensation again as they walked. And he most certainly didn't like it.

* * *

A short time later, Edmund and the others found themselves seated around a table inside the beavers' home. Well, Edmund sat on the stairs while the others sat by the table. Edmund did not really like these beavers very much. Mr. Beaver, the one who had found them near the faun's home, had bothered him when Edmund had stopped to look over toward the Queen's home. "Enjoying the scenery, are we?" he had said. Edmund had ignored the statement, but it had offended him, anyway. 

Now he sat on the stairs and thought about ways that he could get them out of here and to the Queen's home. It would not be easy; that much he knew. But there had to be some way to do it. But then again, these beavers didn't exactly seem like the sort to be friendly with the Queen. Maybe he would just have to go alone. It wasn't exactly desirable, but if it had to be done, it had to be done.

"Isn't there anything we can do to help Tumnus?" asked Peter.

"They'll have taken him to the witch's house," replied Mr. Beaver. "And you know what they say – there's few who go through them gates that come out again."

Mrs. Beaver quickly came out and lay down a plate next to Lucy. "Fish and chips, dear," she said, obviously trying to avoid the subject. "But there is hope, dear. Lots of hope."

Mr. Beaver spit out the drink that he had been drinking. "Oh, yeah, there's a right bit more than hope!" he said excitedly. Then he leaned forward and whispered, "Aslan is on the move."

Edmund suddenly felt that strange pang again. But, despite the feeling, he stepped forward to the table. "Who's Aslan?" he asked.

"Who's Aslan?" Mr. Beaver laughed. He slapped the table while he laughed. "You cheeky little blighter!" He continued to laugh until he was nudged by Mrs. Beaver. Then he looked at the children. "You don't know, do you?" he asked.

"Well, we haven't exactly been here that long," said Peter.

"Well he's only the king of the whole wood, the top geezer, the real king of Narnia!" said Mr. Beaver, still not believing that they didn't know about Aslan.

"He's been away for a long while," said Mrs. Beaver.

"But he's just got back!" Mr. Beaver continued. "And he's waiting for you at the stone table!"

As the Beavers talked about Aslan, the feeling in Edmund's gut got stronger and stronger. He turned away from the table and walked back to the stairs. When he reached them, he began to realize what he had to do now. He couldn't listen to any more of this. And he knew now that his brother and sisters were not going to come willingly now. Peter would never listen to him; he never had and he never would. Lucy cared too much and hated the Queen. And Susan wanted to leave this place, not get farther into it. He had to be on his own. And he had to leave, now.

He decided to leave his coat. He didn't know exactly why, but he thought that it would be a good idea to leave the coat. Then, he began to crawl up the stairs. He blocked out the words that the Beavers said; he only listened to make sure that they were speaking loud enough to cover the sound of the door. And, very carefully and quietly, he snuck out the door and into the night. He shut the door behind him and walked away from the dam.

As soon as he was far enough away that they wouldn't be able to hear him run, he began to run. And for a while, Edmund ran. He held his arms to his chest, because it was so cold. When the snow got deeper, Edmund had to walk slower. But, he tried to walk as fast as he could. He had to get to the Queen's castle before the others could catch up with him.

At last, he came to a frozen lake where he could see the castle ahead of him. With as much speed as he could muster, the cold little boy ran across the ice toward the castle. When he reached the far side of the lake, he was completely out of breath. So, he climbed the rocks to the doorway more slowly. The great door opened surprisingly easily, and Edmund walked through into the courtyard of the Queen's castle.

* * *

Susan did not want to go anywhere else in this new world called Narnia. She would have rather just gone home straight away. She had suggested it when they had first entered, and again when they had found the notice for Tumnus' arrest. But no one listened to her, and now she was sure that they should have gone back in the first place. After all, home was the safe place to be. 

She had to admit, she had been slightly intrigued by the news of Aslan and the tales of the prophecy that the Beavers had talked about. But then, they were Beavers after all, and she was just an English girl. And she certainly was no kind of heroine, let alone some kind of Queen. And so, again, she had suggested that they go home now. It was time to leave while everything was still all right.

But then they had turned around, and Edmund was nowhere to be seen. Susan had looked all around the dam, but Edmund was gone. And what's worse, he had left his coat here. Her little brother was somewhere out in the snow without a coat. This could not get any worse.

They had, of course, run immediately out of the dam and straight toward the home of the Witch, where Mr. Beaver suspected that Edmund was headed. Susan did not like the sound of that. It made her run even faster, if that was at all possible. The snow was deep and the air was cold, but Susan had a little brother to catch. They needed to get home, after all.

When they reached a frozen lake surrounding the castle, though, Susan froze. She watched in silence as she saw a small figure heading through the huge gates of the castle on the other side.

"Edmund!" Lucy shouted, as loudly as she could.

"Shhh! They'll hear ya!" Mr. Beaver whispered quickly and harshly.

Then Peter tried to make a run for it. Susan was surprised. Peter hadn't shown this much concern for Edmund in years. But Mr. Beaver pulled on his coat and stopped him from going anywhere. "No!" he shouted.

"Get off me!" Peter screamed back.

"You're playing into her hands!" Mr. Beaver responded.

"We can't just let him go," argued Susan.

"He's our brother!" added Lucy.

"He's the bait!" Mr. Beaver answered. "The Witch wants all four of ya!"

"Why?" Peter asked.

"To stop the prophecy from coming true. To kill ya!"

Each of the children's heads turned immediately to the castle. Was that the fate that awaited Edmund? As she thought about it, Susan suddenly grew very angry. And there was only one person that she could blame for that.

"This is all your fault," she told Peter, advancing toward him angrily.

"My fault?" Peter said, acting as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"None of this would have happened if you had just listened to me in the first place!" Susan shouted at him.

"Oh, so you knew this would happen," Peter said sarcastically.

"I didn't know what would happen," Susan said quietly. "Which is why we should have left while we still could!"

"Stop it!" Lucy interrupted. "This isn't going to help Edmund."

"She's right," agreed the Beaver. "Only Aslan can help your brother now."

"Then take us to him," Peter said quietly.

Susan looked back out at the castle that lay on the other side of the lake. She watched as Edmund disappeared behind the great doors, and as those great doors shut behind him. She stood there for a moment, frozen in time, wondering if there was anything they could possibly do to help Edmund now.

Moments later, they were rushing back through the woods, this time even faster than they had run coming up the first time. Because, as Mr. Beaver said, as soon as Edmund talked to the Witch, her wolves would come right behind. So, the children ran, primarily out of fear, back to the Beavers' dam.

They rushed into the dam with quite a commotion. "Hurry, mother, they're after us!" Mr. Beaver shouted.

"Oh, right then," said Mrs. Beaver, sounding a bit flustered. She began to run around gathering various food items and things.

"What is she doing?" asked Peter.

"Oh, don't worry, dear," said Mrs. Beaver. "You'll be thanking me later. It's a long journey and Beaver gets pretty cranky when he's hungry."

"I'm cranky now!" shouted Mr. Beaver.

Then Susan began to rush around and look for things too. If they wanted to get out of here quickly – and practically, as well – then Mrs. Beaver would need some assistance. "Do you think we'll need jam?" she asked, unsure of what to pack in a running away sort of situation.

"Only if the Witch serves toast!" Peter answered. Clearly, he didn't seem to understand how important it is to be prepared for long journeys, or so Susan observed.

Suddenly, they heard scratching noises outside. "Quickly, this way!" Beaver said as he rushed over to an old trapdoor. They all dashed into the tunnel. Susan grabbed a lantern on her way out, knowing that light was essential. Then into the tunnel she ran.

The tunnel was long and dark, but it made Susan feel good to know that there was a way out of the dam that didn't involve running into a pack of wolves. She held Lucy's hand as she ran, mostly because Peter was holding a torch, and Susan had no desire to have Lucy burn her hands anywhere, much less a tunnel. At one point, Lucy fell onto the ground because Susan was not used to running with her, and when they stopped, they could hear the wolves approaching. "They're in the tunnel," Lucy whispered. And so they ran even faster.

When they got to a dead end, they all stopped briefly. "You should have brought a map!" Mrs. Beaver cried.

"There wasn't room next to the jam!" Mr. Beaver answered her, and with that, he jumped up out of the hole in the ceiling of the tunnel. Fortunately, that was the way out.

Susan and Lucy hurried up out of the tunnel and out into the clearing. Peter helped Mr. Beaver roll a barrel in front of the entrance. Then Lucy tripped and fell over something. When they turned around, they saw that she had fallen on a group of statues that were very detailed and looked a lot like animals. Susan didn't know why, but she suddenly felt very sad while looking at the statues.

And for good reason, too. As it turned out, these were not just statues. They had been living animals that had been turned to statues by the White Witch. She learned this from a fox, who saved them from the wolves by hiding them up in a tree. Susan felt exceptionally sorry for the poor creature when he was hurt by the wolves, but she was so grateful that he had saved them.

Then, as Mrs. Beaver worked to heal the poor fox, they all sat around a campfire. For the first time since they had entered Narnia, Susan felt somewhat relaxed, and even a little peaceful.

"Are you all right?" Lucy asked the fox as he lay squirming.

"Well, I wish I could say that their bark is worse than their bite," the Fox replied, wincing in pain every now and again.

"Stop squirming!" Mrs. Beaver told him sternly. "You're worse than Beaver on bath day!"

"Worst day of the year," Mr. Beaver whispered to the children. Susan chuckled, trying to imagine how a beaver would react to a bath.

"Well, thank you for your kindness," said the Fox. "But I'm afraid that's all the cure I have time for."

"You're leaving?" said Lucy sadly.

"It has been a pleasure, my Queen, and an honor," the Fox replied, bowing. "But time is short, and Aslan himself has asked me to gather more troops."

"You've seen Aslan?" Mr. Beaver said, perking right up.

"What's he like?" added Mrs. Beaver.

"Like everything we've ever heard," answered the Fox. Then he turned to Peter. "You'll be glad to have him on your side in the battle against the Witch."

"But we're not planning on fighting any Witch," Susan interjected. They couldn't, of course. Battles are dangerous, especially for children like themselves.

"But, surely, King Peter, the prophecy..."

"We can't go to war without you," said Mr. Beaver.

Peter threw a piece of wood into the fire as he hesitated to speak. Finally, he said, "We just want our brother back."

The Fox said no more on the subject. "Good-bye, your Highnesses, I must be off. And good-bye to you, Beavers." With that, the Fox was gone, and hardly another word was spoken that night. As Susan lay, trying to get to sleep on the cold, hard ground, she thought of Edmund. She wondered whether he was all right, or whether he was in trouble.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** This chapter is basically an introduction to the world of Narnia, through Susan and Edmund's eyes. As you can see, I'm still sticking rather closely to movie prose. That's not always the most fun thing, but it works for the story. _

_I think the only thing that I really liked while I wrote this chapter was inserting Edmund's funny feeling. Did you catch that? If you didn't, go back through and look again. That "funny feeling" will pop up in the future._

_Anyway, thanks for reading. Reviews love!_


	5. V1C3 How All Seemed Lost

**Warnings:** N/A  
**Summary:** Edmund is in the hands of the Witch. Susan heads for Aslan's Camp.  
**A/N:** Chapter set in movie-verse.

* * *

Chapter Three – How All Seemed Lost

"_The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next." – Ursula K. LeGuin_

The courtyard was lonely and cold. It might have even been colder than the forest outside. Edmund wasn't sure, but he suddenly pulled his arms tighter around himself to try and keep himself from shivering. He now almost wished that he had brought his coat with him. At least then he would have some way to stay partially warm.

As he walked through the exceptionally large courtyard, Edmund was surprised at the number of statues that were there. And they were all so realistic. In fact, the statues were huge – much larger than any statues that Edmund had ever seen before. And as he looked around at them all, he was amazed at the lifelike quality of each and every one of them. They honestly looked like they were real creatures, except that they were grey.

They were so realistic that Edmund even jumped when he turned around and saw one of a large horse-like creature. It held a sword high above Edmund's head, and it really looked like it was about to strike. But Edmund shrugged it off and went on his way.

At one point, Edmund found a statue of a lion. Nearby, there was a pile of coal pieces. Edmund could not resist. He picked up a piece of coal and began to draw on the statue. He drew a mustache and circled the eyes with the coal. It was such a childish and immature act, but Edmund didn't care, and there was no one here to stop him. He smiled for the first time since entering Narnia this time, and decided to go on.

At the other end of the courtyard was a set of stairs leading up to the rest of the castle. Edmund determined that he needed to go up those stairs, of course. And so he went in that direction. He was a little surprised to see a statue in the middle of the way. But, he didn't stop to examine it further. He stepped over the statue. A moment later, Edmund lay on the ground, pinned by the statue, which actually had been a wolf.

"Be still, stranger," the wolf growled. "Or you'll never move again! Who are you?"

"I'm Edmund!" Edmund begged. "I met the Queen in the woods! She told me to come back here! I'm a Son of Adam!" He looked up at the wolf with a desperate look in his eyes.

And the wolf backed off, allowing Edmund to move. "My apologies, fortunate favorite of the Queen," he growled. "Or else, not so fortunate." The wolf began to walk on. Edmund figured that he had better follow.

"Right this way," the wolf growled as Edmund followed him slowly up the stairs. It seemed now to Edmund that the stairs had gotten bigger since his encounter with the wolf. But that was probably just his imagination.

When they finally reached the top of the stairs, the wolf led Edmund into another room, which was nearly as large as the courtyard. But it was not filled with statues. Instead, it was just an empty rooms with columns lined down the side. Edmund looked at the columns curiously. They were solid ice, and they glowed blue in the moonlight. On the other side of the room, there was an enormous chair, which Edmund guessed was the Queen's throne. It was lined with very soft-looking white fur. Edmund immediately had the desire to go up and sit in it.

"Wait here," the wolf commanded. Then he left Edmund alone in the enormous room. Edmund stood still for a moment, but then he got tired of waiting. He looked around to see if anyone was coming, then he climbed up the stairs to the chair. The chair was absolutely wonderful, in Edmund's opinion. The soft lining was comfortable enough to let someone sit for hours without any pain. But, the most thrilling thing about the chair was the idea behind it. _When I become King, _Edmund thought, _I'll get to sit in this chair, and Peter will have to stand down there._ He smiled brightly as he looked around the room from this new perspective.

"Like it?" A familiar voice startled Edmund, causing him to immediately get up out of his chair.

"Yes..." he stammered. "Your Majesty."

For after all, it was the Queen who had come and surprised him. Her pathetic little dwarf stood behind her. But the wolf had disappeared. "I thought you might," she said, stepping closer. She sat down in the chair where he had previously been seated. She held her wand in her hand and looked at Edmund, who was now backing down the stairs a bit.

"Tell me, Edmund," she said. "Are your sisters deaf?"

"No," Edmund answered, wondering why the Queen would bother to ask that. Of course they weren't deaf.

"And your brother, is he...unintelligent?"

"Well, I think so, but Mum says..."

"Then how DARE you come alone!" the Queen shouted, now suddenly standing in front of Edmund. Edmund quickly backed further down the stairs as she advanced.

"I tried..." Edmund tried to say, beginning to realize something strange was going on with the Queen.

"Edmund, I ask so little of you," she continued.

"They just don't listen to me!"

"You couldn't even do that..."

"I did bring them halfway!" Edmund cried, running out of excuses. "They're in the little house in the dam, with the Beavers!" He gulped as the Queen said nothing more for a moment. His breathed even quickened a bit.

"Well, I suppose you're not a total loss, then," the Queen said. She turned around and headed back to her chair.

Edmund followed her partway. "Um...I was wondering," he began. The Queen turned around and looked at him. "Could I maybe have some more Turkish Delight now?" he asked, barely able to get out the words, except that he wanted some candy really badly.

The Queen paused for a moment. Then she turned to the dwarf. "Our guest is hungry," she said, in the most strange tone of voice that Edmund had ever heard. For just a moment, Edmund thought that he heard something completely and utterly evil. Could that be correct?

Apparently, it might have been. For the next moment, he had a knife in his back and he was being led down to the dungeons. And the worst part was, the Queen had sent out the wolves. They were going to get his family. For the first time, Edmund was beginning to get it. She wasn't a Queen – she was a monster. And, in a way, she wanted to eat him for supper.

* * *

When Susan woke up the next morning, she was dead tired. And she was certain that she had been dreaming. She convinced herself before she opened her eyes that she was safe at home in a bed. She was wrapped up in a blanket, ready to put on her clothes and seize the day. And above all, her whole family was there, including Edmund, and they were not in some fantasy dream world called Narnia.

But, as with all dreams, they must come to an end. When Susan opened her eyes, she saw that she was not at home in a bed. She was wrapped up in her fur coat around a dead fire. She already was dressed and ready to walk to find Aslan to save her brother. And she most definitely was in the fantasy world called Narnia.

She did not want to walk anywhere that morning. But, they had to go, or they might be caught. And so, hours later, Susan found herself walking over a stone bridge, gazing out over the landscape of Narnia. And it was, though Susan would not have admitted it, quite amazing to look at.

"Now, Aslan's camp is near the Stone Table," said Mr. Beaver, holding his hand up over his eyes and pointing across to the horizon. "That's just across the frozen river."

"A river?" Peter asked, worriedly.

"Oh, the river has been frozen solid for a hundred years," said Mrs. Beaver to reassure the children.

Peter looked back out at the landscape. "It's so far," he groaned.

"It's the world, dear," replied Mrs. Beaver. "Did you expect it to be small?"

Susan looked over at her brother. Of course it was a far distance. It was just as Mrs. Beaver said. "Smaller," she told him before walking past him. They apparently had a very long way to go yet.

Hiking with the others was not as bad as Susan had originally expected it to be. In fact, despite the chill, she was actually having a rather enjoyable time. For most of the journey, Susan walked beside Mrs. Beaver, who seemed to be quite fond of her. And Susan liked Mrs. Beaver, as well. She was certainly practical; that had been demonstrated when they had been fleeing from the wolves the night before. But, there was something special about Mrs. Beaver that Susan really admired. Mrs. Beaver was kind and loveable, and she loved everyone around her so dearly. And she believed so strongly in the children, even when she didn't even know them very well. Susan marveled at how she was able to trust in the children, even Edmund, who had gone off to the Witch's castle and betrayed them.

But, even Susan began to get weary of the journey as it wore on. Around midday, they were walking across what would have been a huge field in the springtime. But in the dead of winter, it was completely covered in snow, so that it seemed to be an endless white surface for them to cross. And as they crossed this infinite surface of snow, they began to become rather tired.

"Come on, humans, while we're still young!" Mr. Beaver shouted, telling them to hurry along for about the tenth time since they had started walking across the field.

"If he tells us to hurry up one more time, I'm going to turn him into a big fluffy hat," declared Peter while scooping Lucy up onto his back. Susan grinned and walked beside them.

"Hurry up!" Mr. Beaver shouted again.

"He is getting a little bossy," Lucy remarked. Peter and Susan nodded in agreement. But just then, they heard the sounds of bells ringing behind them.

"Behind you, it's her!" shouted Mrs. Beaver.

"Run!" Peter yelled. He lowered Lucy, took her hand, and they all took off running.

Susan soon found herself running as fast as she could possibly ever run. And she could not help it, of course. For who wants to be caught by a Witch when they were so close to being safe again? She hurried closely behind the two Beavers, who dashed through the snow on all fours with speed like she had never seen in her life. And Susan kept running until she reached the trees on the other side of the unending plain. She dashed through the trees, carefully but quickly.

Mr. Beaver pointed out a small cave where they could quickly hide. "Inside, dive! Dive!" he shouted. The children and the Beavers hurried inside and sat down as quickly as they could. Lucy clung to Peter, while Susan and Mrs. Beaver sat on the other side of the cave.

Susan wasn't sure that she had ever been so terrified in her life, not even during the air raids when bombs were dropped on the city at least once a week. Her breath quickened, but she was able to keep quiet. She didn't think that she would be able to do otherwise, since she was so terrified. And when the sleigh stopped and a shadow appeared in front of them, Susan was very sure that she was more scared now then she ever had been before.

But then the shadow disappeared and some of the fear went away. But no one in the cave moved for a moment anyway. Susan felt the fear easing up, but it certainly hadn't gone away yet.

"Maybe she's gone," Lucy whispered.

"I suppose I'll go look," Peter said. He began to stand up, but was stopped by Mr. Beaver.

"No!" he whispered. "You're worth nothing to Narnia dead!"

"Neither are you, Beaver!" cried Mrs. Beaver, reaching out to him.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said, taking her hands. Then he got on all fours and crawled slowly out of the hole. The children and Mrs. Beaver sat there in the cave, waiting. They looked at each other and out at the snow outside the cave. None of them could move or speak.

"Come out! Come out!" Mr. Beaver suddenly appeared at the top of the cave, which made all of them nearly jump. "I hope you've all been good, 'cause there's someone here to see ya!"

Susan wondered at this strange behavior. Nevertheless, she climbed out of the cave, following Peter and Lucy. She stepped out carefully up to the ground above where she had been sitting. And that was where she saw a strange sight. An old man dressed all in red stood there beside a large sleigh covered in sleigh bells. Inside the sleigh was an enormous sack. And the strangest thing about it was, even though Susan had never met this man before, she felt as if she had seen him before, somewhere.

"Merry Christmas, sir," said Lucy, smiling and stepping toward the man. That was when Susan figured it out. This was Father Christmas, the legend that every child in England knew about, and believed, for a certain period of time. This was the man who supposedly came to your house on Christmas to bring you gifts. But, of course, Susan hadn't believed in Father Christmas for years.

"It certainly is, Lucy, since you have arrived," Father Christmas said.

"Look, I've put up with a lot since we got here, but this..." Susan began, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed.

"We thought you were the Witch," Peter interrupted.

"Yes, and I'm sorry about that," said Father Christmas. "But, in my defense, I have been driving one of these longer than the Witch."

Susan stepped forward toward Father Christmas. "I thought there was no Christmas in Narnia," she said.

"Not for a long time," Father Christmas answered. "But the hope that you have brought, your Majesties, is finally starting to weaken the Witch's power." Then he turned toward the sleigh. "Still, I daresay, you could do with a few of these."

"Presents!" Lucy cried. She hurriedly walked over to Father Christmas. He set down the sack nearby and pulled out something for Lucy. He bent down to her eye level and handed her a small cordial.

"The juice of the fireflower," he told her. "One drop will cure any injury." He stood up a little taller and handed her a small sheath that contained a tiny dagger. "And, though I hope you never have to use it..."

"Thank you, sir," Lucy said. "But...I think I could be brave enough."

"I'm sure you could," he said. "But battles are ugly affairs." Lucy nodded and backed away. "Susan," Father Christmas said next.

As Susan stepped forward, he pulled out a bow and ivory quiver. "Trust in this bow," he said, "and it will not easily miss."

"What happened to 'battles of ugly affairs'?" Susan asked inquisitively.

Father Christmas chuckled. "And though you don't seem to have trouble making yourself heard," he said. He took out a small horn and handed it to her. "Blow on this, and wherever you are, help will come."

"Thanks," said Susan. She took the bow, quiver, and horn, and stepped away. For a moment, she was silent. She looked over the gifts that she had just been given. Was all of this really happening?

"Peter," said Father Christmas. Peter stepped forward. Father Christmas pulled out a last gift. He handed a very large sheath and a shield to Peter. "The time to use these may be near at hand." Peter drew out the sword from inside the sheath slowly. Susan looked at the expression on his face as he held the sword. He seemed so...regal. Susan wasn't entirely sure that it was a good thing.

"Thank you, sir," said Peter.

"Remember, these are tools, not toys," said Father Christmas as Peter resheathed the sword. "Bear them well, and wisely." Then he picked up his sack of presents. "Well, I best be off," he said. "Winter is almost over, and things do pile up when you've been gone a hundred years!" He climbed into his sleigh. "Long live Aslan!" he said. "And Merry Christmas!" Then he waved his whip and drove away.

"Bye!" the children called. "Merry Christmas!" They all watched as the sleigh disappeared into the distance.

"Told you he was real," Lucy said, turning to Susan, who had often listened to Lucy telling her at Christmastime about Father Christmas.

"He said winter was almost over," said Peter, who was suddenly very quiet. "You know what that means," he added. Susan and Lucy just looked at him.

"No more ice."

* * *

From the moment Edmund was chained up in the dungeon and left alone, he knew that he had been very wrong about the Queen. Or, as the others called her, the Witch. He immediately felt cheated. He had been lied to, he had been deceived. It wasn't his fault, after all. He had done as he had been asked, and he certainly did not deserve this.

Edmund looked down at the food that he had been given. He picked up the solid food, which he did not recognize, and put it in his mouth. It was absolutely awful. He coughed and spit the piece that he had bitten back into his hand. Then he set it back on the plate. He picked up the cup, looked inside, and whatever had been in there was now frozen. He dropped the cup back on the plate and settled back into his place.

"If...if you're not going to eat that..."

Edmund looked over and saw a very pathetic looking creature sitting in the cell next to him. Edmund grabbed the piece of food and moved slowly over to give it to the creature. As he slid closer, he looked at the creature's legs. They were covered and fur and had hooves on the end. Edmund looked over the creature and realized that he knew who this was.

"Mr. Tumnus," he whispered.

"What's left of him," the faun answered, taking the food and putting it to his mouth. Then he looked up at Edmund. "You're...you're Lucy Pevensie's brother," he said.

"I'm Edmund." Edmund did not really want answer at that moment.

"Yes," said Mr. Tumnus. "Yes, you have the same nose." Edmund rubbed his nose, almost instinctively. "Is your sister all right?" Mr. Tumnus asked. "Is she safe?"

Edmund heard wolves howling outside. "I...I don't know," he said quietly.

Just at that moment, the sound of someone approaching reached the ears of the prisoners in the dungeon. Both Edmund and Mr. Tumnus quickly began sliding back to their former positions. The White Witch soon stormed in through the large doors. She walked right over to Edmund. "My police tore that dam apart," she said coldly. "Your little family are nowhere to be found." Edmund swallowed. The Witch scooped him up and held him by the collar. "Where did they go?" she demanded.

"I don't know," said Edmund.

The Witch tossed him back on the ground. "Then you are of no further use to me," she said. She pulled out her wand and raised it to strike.

"Wait!" Edmund cried. "The beaver said something about Aslan!"

The Witch stopped, frozen in her place. "Aslan?" she said, a little less cruelly. "Where?"

"He's a stranger here, your Majesty," Tumnus quickly interjected. "He can't be expected to know anything." Edmund watched as the dwarf, Ginarrbrik, knocked Tumnus in the head.

Then the witch turned back to Edmund. "I said...where is Aslan?"

"I...I don't know," Edmund said slowly. "I left before they said anything," he quickly added. "I wanted to see you!"

The Witch looked at Edmund for a moment. "Guard!" she shouted, not taking her eyes off of Edmund. A large ogre rumbled in. "Release the faun." The ogre knocked off Tumnus' chains and dragged him over to the Witch's feet. "Do you know why you're here, faun?" she asked.

"Because I believe in a free Narnia," Mr. Tumnus replied.

The Witch did not reply to that. To Edmund, it was obvious that she had not intended the question to actually be a question. "You're here," she began, "because he turned you in..." She pointed her wand at Edmund. "...for sweeties."

Immediately, that strange feeling came over Edmund again. Mr. Tumnus looked at him with a strange expression on his face. Edmund wasn't sure if he was surprised or angry or sad, or possibly all three. The Witch said, "Take him upstairs," and the ogre guard dragged the faun away. As he was pulled off, he couldn't look away from Edmund. "And ready my sleigh," the Witch added to Ginarrbrik. "Edmund misses his family." Then she left the room, and Edmund was left all alone.

When he sat by himself, Edmund felt absolutely horrible. He did not know why he felt like this. But, he was beginning to feel as if there was no more hope left for him. He put his head between his knees. Would he ever be free again?

* * *

Susan and the others rushed toward the frozen river as fast as they could run. Peter's words reminded them of the urgency of the situation and jolted them out of the dreamlike state they had been in when they met Father Christmas. Susan, for one, wanted to be glad about being back in reality, but hated the feeling of fear and worry like she never had before.

When they reached the river, the reality of the situation really set in. The ice was breaking as they stood there. There was probably about 20 feet of ice left under the frozen waterfall, and then the ice chunks were floating down the river as they pleased.

"We need to cross, now," said Peter, quickly looking for a way to get down the rocky ledge.

"Don't beavers make dams?" asked Lucy.

"I'm not that fast, dear," said Mr. Beaver.

Peter took Lucy's hand and began to hurry her off down the ledge. He did not get far, though, when Susan's voice turned him around. "Wait!" she shouted. "Can we just think about this for a minute?"

"We don't have a minute," said Peter.

"I'm just trying to be realistic," Susan muttered.

"No," said Peter. "You're trying to be smart, as usual!" Then he took off down the side without another word. Susan stood, unmoving for a moment. This was far too dangerous; they could never cross safely. But the sound of howling wolves convinced her to follow the others.

When they reached the ice below, Peter tried to step out. When he realized that he was too heavy, Mr. Beaver volunteered to go first. He was heavy enough to crack a few pieces, but managed to find a few safe blocks for them to step out onto. Susan followed reluctantly, and as carefully as could be.

"If Mum knew what we were doing..." she began, mostly commenting to herself.

"Mum's not here!" Peter told her. Susan felt that Peter was beginning to get a little more irritating as they went along.

Just then, Lucy looked up toward the waterfall. "Oh no!" she shouted. The others looked in that direction and saw wolves running across the top. They realized immediately that they were coming down for them.

"Run!" Peter cried. And they did. They ran across the ice, and even Susan forgot to be careful as she ran. They hurried across, but they were not fast enough. A moment later, the wolves had leapt onto the ice and surrounded the children and the beavers. Mr. Beaver got down on all fours and advanced toward them. He was not about to let them get to the children without a fight. One of the wolves grabbed Mr. Beaver and held him down, while the lead wolf walked toward them. Peter quickly pulled out the sword that had just been given to him. He held it out with two hands toward the wolf.

"Put that down, boy," the wolf growled. "Someone could get hurt."

"Don't worry about me!" shouted Mr. Beaver. "Run him through!"

The wolf ignored Mr. Beaver. "Leave now while you can, and your brother leaves with you," he growled.

"Stop, Peter, maybe we should listen to him!" shouted Susan. At that moment, she was almost more scared than when they thought they were hiding from the Witch. And when the wolf said that they could take Edmund with them, it was the perfect offer. All Susan wanted was to leave this awful place with her family, and this wolf was offering it to them freely.

The wolf chuckled. "Smart girl," he said.

"Don't listen to him!" Mr. Beaver continued. "Kill him! Kill him now!"

"Oh, come on," the wolf continued. "This isn't your war. All my Queen wants is for you to take your family and go."

Susan was now immensely frustrated. And the wolf's offer was sounding better and better by the minute. "Look, just because some man in a red coat hands you a sword, it doesn't make you a hero!" she screamed. "Just drop it!"

"No, Peter!" shouted Mr. Beaver. "Narnia needs ya! Gut him while you still have a chance!"

Peter hadn't moved at all during this entire conversation. He just held out his sword, looking more and more frightened by the minute.

"What's it going to be, Son of Adam?" growled the wolf. "I won't wait forever, and neither will the river."

Lucy quickly looked up at the waterfall again. "Peter!" she shouted. Peter and Susan looked up in the same direction and saw why Lucy had screamed. Water was beginning to leak out of the frozen ice, and they knew that very soon, the entire waterfall would break and water would come crashing down on them.

Peter looked around for a moment, and after thinking quickly, signaled for his sisters to come to him. "Hold onto me!" he shouted. Susan grabbed Peter's coat as he jammed his sword into the ice below them. Then she looked up at the waterfall and watched as it began to crumble. She closed her eyes and waited for the water to reach them. And after a moment of waiting, the sound of water falling quickly reached Susan's ears, and the ice flow that she was on top of rose high when the water reached them. It felt as if the water swallowed them alive, and the ice sank beneath the waves. Susan held her breath as best as she could, hoping that she wasn't going to drown.

But a moment later, the ice rose to the top of the river and Susan emerged from the depths. She shook her head and let herself breathe as the river carried them away. They rode the river for several minutes. Finally, it began to slow down, and they were able to maneuver the ice over to the shore. Susan scrambled off first onto the dry land. She was very glad to be off of that ice.

Then she turned and looked back at Peter. Peter looked very distressed, and for good reason. He held up Lucy's coat, and Lucy was not inside it. "What have you done?" Susan shouted, realizing that Lucy must still be in the river. "Lucy!" she yelled. "Lucy!" She looked around wildly, searching for any signs of her younger sister.

"Has anyone seen my coat?" Lucy's voice came from another direction. Susan turned and saw Lucy walking toward them, and she was safe on dry land. She pulled her sweater in tighter in an attempt to get warm. Susan and Peter instantly smiled.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," said Mr. Beaver. "Your brother's got you well looked after."

"And I don't think you'll be needing those coats anymore," added Mrs. Beaver. The children turned toward the forest. It was true – the snow and winter was slowly starting to fade away.

* * *

Edmund now stood at the top of a ledge next to a river, which had been frozen only that morning. Now the water ran freely, and there was only a little bit of ice left. In fact, there was only a little snow left on the ground. That was a significant change from that morning, when he had ridden in the Witch's sleigh across great expanses of snow. Edmund couldn't help but smile as he looked at the river. He knew that his siblings had made it this far, and from the look of the situation, they had been able to escape.

"It's so warm out," Ginarrbrik muttered, shaking his coat. Edmund looked over at the dwarf. When the dwarf added, "I'll go and check the sleigh," Edmund knew that the Witch must have given him a nasty look. Edmund smiled again at the dwarf's words.

"Your Majesty." Edmund and the Witch turned around to see a small pack of wolves entering the clearing. One of them carried a fox in his mouth. "We found the traitor," a wolf growled. "He was rallying your enemies near the Shuddering Woods."

"Oh," said the Witch. "So very nice of you to drop by. You were so helpful to my wolves last night."

"Forgive me, your Majesty," the fox whimpered.

"Oh, don't waste my time with flattery," said the Witch.

"Not to seem rude, but I wasn't actually talking to you," the fox replied. He looked straight at Edmund, who was surprised to hear those words. The Witch seemed to be surprised too. She stepped forward and pointed her wand at the fox.

"Where are the humans headed?" she demanded.

The fox did not respond. He just stood there, waiting. He looked longingly at Edmund. When he did not speak, the Witch raised her wand to strike. "Wait, don't!" Edmund shouted, darting in front of the wand. "The beaver said something about a Stone Table, and that Aslan had an army there!"

"An army?" the Witch repeated. "Thank you, Edmund. I am glad that this creature got to see some honesty...before he died!" She moved her wand and instantly, the fox was no more than a stone statue.

Edmund cried out with a quick "No!" He did not know what had come over him suddenly. But, he was feeling that strange feeling again, and he still didn't like it. It had subsided temporarily when he had defended the fox, but now it had come back again.

The Witch paused for a moment, then she turned, looked at Edmund, and gave him a big slap with her hand. Then she grabbed his shoulder. "Edmund, think about whose side you are on," she said. Then she grabbed his chin and turned his head toward the fox. "Mine...or theirs."

When she let go, Edmund couldn't move for a moment. He just stood, looking at the stone fox. His heart broke for the poor creature that had been silent even in the face of death. This just wasn't fair.

Then he looked back at the Witch, who now stood near the pack of wolves. "Go on ahead," she demanded. "Gather the faithful. If it's a war Aslan wants, it's a war he shall get." She turned a passing butterfly to stone.

Edmund was led back to the sleigh where he had to sit and wait. As they went on, Edmund felt absolutely horrible. And besides that strange pang still echoing through his gut, he felt very lost. He was beginning to wonder if there was any hope for him now.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** I know that I'm updating fast. I won't usually do this. But, I still have to catch up with my LJ, which has chapter five posted already._

_Anyway, in this chapter, once again, I tried to delve into how Edmund and Susan feel at certain points in the movie. Most of this isn't completely original stuff, since the plot is completely dictated by movie prose. I try to add my own creativity, though._

_So, enjoy. Read and review, and all that jazz._


	6. V1C4 How They Were Found

**Warnings:** N/A  
**Summary:** Susan and Edmund arrive at Aslan's Camp and are given warnings about the future.  
**A/N:** Chapter set in movie-verse.

* * *

Chapter Four - How They Were Found

_Wise eyes, you see the core of me.  
__Your gentleness melts me.  
__And now I know that words cannot describe  
__The power that I feel when I'm with you.  
__-from "Lion" by Rebecca St. James _

Walking through the world of Narnia in the springtime was absolutely the most amazing experience that Susan had ever had. As she walked with her brother, sister, and friends through the forests and fields, she couldn't help but feel very much at peace. The green of the world surrounded her and made her feel warm inside.

When Susan looked at Lucy, she saw that her sister was smiling. Susan loved it when Lucy smiled. Her little sister seemed so perfect in this world. It was as if, to Susan, that Lucy had been born to exist in exactly this sort of environment.

And when Susan looked at Peter, she saw something that she hadn't seen in Peter's face for years. He actually looked at ease, as if all his worries had dissolved into the air. He carried himself with an air that was above him, and Susan smiled to see it. He looked regal again, maybe more than when he had pulled out the sword for the first time.

A short while later, they rounded a hill, and Susan saw another amazing sight. She saw dozens and dozens of red and gold pavilions, as well as countless creatures between and around the pavilions. She heard a horn blow on a hill nearby, and when she looked up, she saw a very tall creature, but she could hardly distinguish what it was.

When they reached the pavilions, they walked right through the center. As they walked, every creature around them stopped whatever they were doing and stared at the visitors. Susan also looked at all of the strange creatures. Some of the creatures she could recognize, because they were animals that she had heard of in England. But many were unfamiliar to her.

"Why are they all staring at us?" she whispered to Lucy.

"Maybe they think you look funny," Lucy told her, smiling.

Susan didn't say anything back to Lucy. She figured that those words were probably true. After all, it seemed that there were no humans anywhere here in Narnia.

At last, they approached the end of the row of pavilions. There was one very large red and gold pavilion on the end of the row. Nearby, a half-man half-horse creature, which Susan would later learn is called a centaur, stood on a rock. He bowed slightly to the approaching humans.

They stopped when they reached the centaur. Peter pulled out his sword and held it high in the air. "We have come to see Aslan," he said plainly. The centaur nodded toward the tent. A moment later, all the creatures behind the children began to bow. The centaur did as well. Susan looked at Peter, then at Lucy. Then they all looked at the pavilion. As they watched, the flaps of the tent moved, and an instant later, Aslan emerged. He certainly was not what Susan had been expecting, but that didn't seem to matter.

Susan bowed with everyone else, in awe of the great lion. After a moment, his deep voice echoed in her ears. "Welcome, Peter, Son of Adam. Welcome Susan and Lucy, Daughters of Eve. And welcome, Beavers, you have my thanks." Susan lifted her head to look at Aslan again. "But where is the fourth?"

The children stood up now. Peter put his sword back in its sheath. "That's why we are here," he said. "We need your help."

"We...had a little trouble along the way," said Susan. She really did not want to blame Edmund for all this, whether it was his fault or not.

"Our brother has been captured by the White Witch," said Peter.

"Captured?" Aslan repeated. "How could this happen?"

"He... betrayed them, your Majesty," said Mr. Beaver.

"Then he has betrayed us all!" remarked the centaur, speaking for the first time.

"Peace, Oreius!" Aslan said. "I'm sure there is an explanation."

None of the children spoke up for a moment. Then Peter began to speak. "It's my fault, really," he said. "I was too hard on him."

Susan felt sorry for Peter and placed her hand on his shoulders to comfort him. "We all were," she added. She knew that was true, too. Perhaps Peter had been the worst, but she couldn't say she hadn't done her fair share of mistreating him. She wanted to convince herself that she had only ever helped him, but that wasn't entirely true.

"Sir, he's our brother," said Lucy.

"I know, dear one," said Aslan, softly. "But that only makes the betrayal all the worse." Then he paused. "This may be harder than you think."

* * *

After speaking with Aslan, Peter was sent to one tent, and the girls were sent to another. They were to be given some good, clean, Narnian clothes, made specially for them by some of the finest tailors and seamstresses in camp. After all, not many clothes were made for humans in Narnia, but the outfits had been made in advance.

Susan absolutely adored her new dress. It was dark green with very fine trim along the edges and neckline. And her hair had been braided by some very friendly centaur women, who thought that she had the most pretty hair they had ever seen. Susan had thoroughly enjoyed letting them play with it while she sat in a brand-new dress, unlike any dress she had ever wore before.

Now, she and Lucy were standing by the riverside. She very much liked Lucy's new dress as well. And Lucy seemed to like hers. "You look like Mum," Lucy remarked.

"Mum hasn't had a dress like this since before the war," Susan said, though she wondered if her mother ever had a dress like this.

"We should bring her one back," said Lucy. "A whole trunk full!"

"If we ever get back," Susan muttered, turning away from her little sister. She was suddenly hit by a feeling of anxiety. Somewhere inside of her, Susan doubted that they would ever go home. But, she knew that it wasn't very nice to act all depressed for Lucy. "I'm sorry I'm like that," she told her, turning back to look at her sister. "We used to have fun together, didn't we?"

"Yes," Lucy muttered. Then she quickly smiled. "Before you got boring!" She began to laugh a bit.

"Oh really?" Susan said with a sarcastic tone to her voice. Then she bent down and used her hands to splash Lucy with some water from the river. Lucy laughed as she did the same, getting both girls very wet in the process. After a few more splashed, both girls headed up the bank to where a few towels hung. Susan got there first. She reached and pulled one away.

To her surprise, a wolf was behind the towel. It barked, and Susan and Lucy both jumped back. "Please don't try to run," the wolf growled. "We're tired, and we prefer to kill you quickly." Susan saw that two wolves had come. But she also saw her horn located less than 20 feet away. If she could get to it, then she could get some help. She threw the towel at the wolf and darted.

"Lucy, get up the tree!" Susan shouted as she ran toward the horn. She was able to grab it and reach the tree before being caught by the wolves. With a sturdy kick, she knocked the wolf aside long enough for her to get up the tree. Then, as hard as she could, she blew the horn. The most beautiful sound erupted from the horn. She blew it several times before lowering it and worrying again about the wolves.

Very soon, she saw Peter running across the river. He pulled out his sword as he ran. "Get back!" he shouted. When he reached the clearing beneath the tree, he held the sword with his two hands again and pointed it at the wolves, who had given up the fight for the girls and were now going after the boy.

"Come on," said the first wolf, whom Susan recognized as the wolf from the river fight. "We've been through this before. We both know that you haven't got it in you." The wolves circled Peter, who was busy moving his sword between the wolves.

"Peter, watch out!" cried Susan, not knowing how else to help. She was beginning to be afraid that she may have pulled Peter into a battle that he couldn't win.

But then, out of nowhere came Aslan and a troop of others. Aslan pinned the second wolf beneath his paw to aid Peter. But he stopped the others from advancing. "Stay your weapons," he commanded. "This is Peter's battle."

The wolf, certain now to die whether he finished Peter off or not, now prepared to attack. "You may think you're a king," he growled. "But you're going to die...like a dog!" The wolf leaped at Peter, who was able to hold firm, even when the wolf knocked him off his feet.

"Peter!" Susan screamed along with Lucy. They quickly jumped down from the branches and ran over to their brother. Susan pushed the wolf, who was now dead, off of Peter. Peter sat up, shocked from what had just happened. Then Susan and Lucy threw their arms around him and hugged him as tight as they could.

Meanwhile, Aslan let the other wolf free. The wolf darted off into the trees. "After him," Aslan commanded. "He'll lead you to Edmund." The centaur nodded and the troop ran off after the wolf. "Peter, clean your sword," said Aslan.

A short while later, Peter was officially a Knight of Narnia. Susan and Lucy stood by and watched as he was knighted, and they were so proud of him. And Peter felt very proud as well. But, he was beginning to understand that he was becoming a bigger part of this world, and it would not be so easy to just leave now.

That night, Susan went to sleep in the pavilion that had been set aside for herself and for Lucy. As she lay, trying to sleep, Susan hoped that the troop of creatures had been successful in finding and rescuing her little brother, whom she loved so dearly.

* * *

Edmund was not doing all that well at all. Ever since the encounter at the river, he had been absolutely miserable, and there was nothing that could possibly cheer him up. He was suddenly feeling very tired, and he was very hungry. His legs hurt, though he had not been walking. His mouth hurt from where the Witch had hit him, and from the gag that now encompassed it. And his head hurt from all the pain and misery that he was beginning to realize he had gotten himself into.

And to make things entirely worse, that vile dwarf, Ginarrbrik, was having the time of his life tormenting the poor boy. He constantly came over to taunt the boy, by circling around him and saying horrid things like, "Is our little prince uncomfortable? Does he want his pillow fluffed? Special treatment for a special boy! Isn't that what you wanted?" Edmund was growing more and more frightened of the dwarf as he continued to taunt and torment.

Late that evening, Edmund was finally left to himself. Actually, there were several guards and other ugly creatures about, but the dwarf and all others who were there to bother him had disappeared. Edmund knew the dwarf was nearby, but he had seemed to tire temporarily of his game. And Edmund was grateful of that.

But Edmund was not expected some visitors that evening. In fact, he had not been hoping for any. So, he was very surprised, and very relieved, to see a group of slightly kinder-looking creatures come bounding in. He was happy when they slew his guards, as quietly as possible, and he was happy when one of the creatures, a centaur, whispered, "Are you all right, your Majesty? Do not fear, we've come to rescue you. Our orders are from Aslan himself." Then the centaur cut the ropes, lifted Edmund onto his back, and ran off. Edmund did not even flinch when he heard the name "Aslan", partially because he was too tired to notice anything.

Edmund did not wake again for quite a while. And when he did wake, it was to the sound of the centaur's voice. "Wake up, Son of Adam," he said. When Edmund opened his eyes, the centaur placed him on the ground. Edmund looked around and realized that it was nearly dawn. "Aslan wishes to speak with you," the centaur said, nodding his head toward a nearby hill.

Edmund looked up to the hill where the centaur was nodding. On the top of the hill, in front of the sunrise, stood a lion. Edmund swallowed. He couldn't explain it, but he was very intimidated by the lion, and he had barely seen him for more than a moment.

Then the lion spoke, with a deep voice that echoed to Edmund's inner soul. "When you're ready, Son of Adam," he said. Instantly, that strange feeling returned, only this time, it was stronger than it ever had been before. And Aslan's words echoed words that had been spoken to him only that morning, by his former captor, the White Witch.

Edmund's thoughts were immediately transported to the events of the morning. After the White Witch had demanded to know the whereabouts of Aslan, and Tumnus had tried to stand up for Edmund, the thoughts in Edmund's mind had been in the pit of despair. He had waited for what seemed like hours for the Witch to return and kill him. But only the dwarf returned. "Get up," he said, ridding Edmund of the chains and tying him instead to a rope. "Now walk," Ginarrbrik said. Edmund left the dungeon, weary from all that had been going on.

When they reached the courtyard, where Edmund had been the night before, Edmund froze. For now he saw a statue that had not been there the night before. It was in the shape of the faun, Mr. Tumnus. With deep realization, Edmund knew that the Witch's wand had turned him to stone. And with another realization, he knew that the Witch's wand had turned all these creatures to stone. That strange feeling returned, because Edmund knew it was his fault that Mr. Tumnus was in this state.

His realization was interrupted by the sound of the Witch's voice. "When you're ready, Son of Adam," she said. Edmund tried to look more at the statue of the faun, but was pushed away by Ginarrbrik and led to the sleigh.

Now Edmund's thoughts returned to the task at hand. With a heavy heart, he knew that he had to go up the hill and meet with this strange lion. He breathed slowly, moved one foot and then the other, and forced himself to walk up the hill. He could not look at the lion as he approached. His only hope was to just keep walking until he made it, and then he could face his fears.

When he reached the top, Edmund finally forced himself to look up toward the lion. His hands quickly went to his pockets, the only safe place for them. He swallowed again, feeling that strange feeling pierce his heart, mind, and soul.

"My son, you have come," Aslan said at last. He spoke with a deep, gentle voice, the like of which Edmund had never heard before. "But you come with heavy heart," he continued. "Speak, Son of Adam."

"Uh...I...don't know what to say, Aslan," Edmund muttered.

"Then speak to me of your journey, my son," said the lion.

"I...I just wanted to be a king, Aslan," said Edmund, finding that he was surprisingly able to admit it. "And...I didn't know that..." he broke off, suddenly losing the words again.

"What, Son of Adam?"

"I didn't know that what I did was...wrong," the boy admitted.

"But, you know, do you not, Son of Adam?" the lion asked.

"Yes, I think that I do now, Aslan," said the boy.

"But, Son of Adam, your knowledge cannot ease the road for you," said the lion. "What you have done will lead you on a path that you would not have willed for yourself, or for others. For what you have done will bring consequences, whether you have changed or not."

"I know, Aslan," said Edmund, looking down at his shoes for a moment.

"But, there is hope, my son," said Aslan. "It may come from a place unexpected, but it shall come."

"I will be ready, Aslan," Edmund said, slightly more confidently, but still very unsettled.

"I have faith in you, my son," said Aslan.

"Edmund!" A familiar voice rang in Edmund's ears. Both boy and lion looked down from the hill to see three familiar figures. One was holding another back, and the last was standing alone.

"Do you see them, Son of Adam?" said Aslan, bringing Edmund's attention back to their conversation. "They wait for you. Lucy is ready to forgive. She wants to be reconnected with her brother again. Peter is ready to make amends. He has learned through experience how his actions have affected you, and what he must do to change. And Susan, she is ready to love. She has always been there for you, and she wants to take you back into her life. It may be long before you realize it, but it is Susan's change that will aid you the most in the coming trials."

"I understand, Aslan," Edmund said. "I am ready now to go to them."

"Then go, my son," said the lion. He nodded, as if to give Edmund permission to leave. And go Edmund did. He turned around, hands still in his pocket, and wandered down the hill. The lion followed him as he went. The boy went slowly to his family, slightly unable to look at them in the eye. But, as he noticed, that strange feeling was slowly coming back. It had temporarily disappeared while he spoke with Aslan. But it was returning.

At last, he reached his siblings. He stood by and waited until Aslan approached. "What's done is done," Aslan said. Edmund knew that this was not true, but Aslan must have had a reason for this statement. "There is no need to speak to Edmund about what is past." Then Aslan walked away, leaving the children alone. Edmund knew now that Aslan had spoken those words to discourage scolding Edmund for his behavior. It did not mean that everything was done, for Aslan had told him otherwise.

"Hullo," Edmund finally said after watching his siblings for a moment. He looked at them for a moment, but still was hardly able to look at them. He knew now that he had hurt them deeply, and would hurt them even more deeply in the future. And he also knew now that he did not want that, however cruel they had always been to him.

* * *

Susan had awoken that morning bright and early. She was stirred by Lucy, who was full of energy and eager to start the day. They both dressed in their brand-new dresses, and went outside. But it was what was outside that made Susan's morning complete. When she left the tent, she saw a familiar figure standing up on the hill next to Aslan. It was Edmund. He had returned.

"Edmund!" Lucy shouted. She began to run toward her brother, but Peter held her back. Susan looked at their faces for a moment, but then she turned back to Edmund. Aslan spoke to him for a moment more, and then they both came walking down the hill. When they reached the ground, Edmund paused.

"What's done is done," said Aslan. "There is no need to speak to Edmund about what is past." Then he turned and left them alone. Edmund barely looked at them, and Susan understood. No doubt he felt very guilty right now.

"Hullo," Edmund muttered. He looked up at them for a moment. A moment later, Lucy ran up to embrace her brother. She threw her arms around him and held him tightly. Edmund held onto Lucy as well. Susan knew that he was happy to be here. And she was so happy to see him.

After waiting for a moment, Susan stepped up, put her hand on Edmund's shoulder, and stole him from her sister. She threw her arms around him and pulled him in tight. She hugged him with all that she could give, for in that moment, she loved her brother more than anything. And she was so glad to see him safe. She didn't care about getting home right then. In fact, it did not even cross her mind. Instead, she only cared that Edmund was here, safe and sound.

"How are you feeling?" Susan asked, pulling away, but keeping her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm a little tired," said Edmund.

"Get some sleep," said Peter, nodding toward the pavilion where he had stayed the night before. Edmund looked at Susan before walking up toward the tent. "And Edmund," added Peter. Edmund turned back around. "Try not to wander off," laughed Peter. Edmund smiled, and walked off to the tent. Susan couldn't help but smile, because she knew that her brother was safe not far from where she was.

* * *

After a little while, Susan found herself waiting around with nothing to do. Peter had suggested that they wait to eat until Edmund was awake. Peter seemed a little on edge, but Susan did not worry about it much. She was still very happy from seeing Edmund back, and could not be bothered with much.

But, now, as she sat and waited, she was beginning to grow bored, and rather impatient. She had a tendency to do just that, and though she didn't like it, it was something she would have to live with for a long time. She sat by her tent and just waited, for she had nothing better to do with her time. Peter was off somewhere, and Lucy had gone off to see some of the centaurs.

"Daughter of Eve," a voice said. Susan turned her head around to see who had just spoken. She saw Aslan standing there, though she had no idea why.

"Aslan," Susan responded, unsure of what else to say.

"You seem unsettled, dear child," the lion said to her.

"I do not know if unsettled is the right word," she said.

"Then what are you, dear child?" Aslan asked, taking a step toward her.

Susan paused. She did not how to speak to this lion. He seemed so strange to her, because he was so complex and hard to understand. And he spoke in a way that was so real to her, more real than anyone else had ever been toward her.

"I'm...I'm not sure, Aslan," Susan said at last. The lion did not say a word. He simply continued to look into her eyes, and Susan knew that she had to reply. "I suppose that I'm...just...oh, Aslan, am I too doubtful? I mean, did all of this happen because I have always been afraid?" Tears began to fill Susan's eyes as the lion's gaze pierced her own and forced her to realize her own faults.

But then Aslan did something rather unexpected. He stepped up to her and breathed on her. "Do you feel braver now, Daughter of Eve?" he asked calmly.

Susan nodded, still in tears. "I...I think so," she muttered.

Then Aslan stepped back one step and began to speak again. This time, however, he spoke in a more hushed voice. "Daughter of Eve, your brother's betrayal is the result of many past trials, as well as the cause of many trials yet to come. He will face many dangers that will be unexpected. But, you will face these as well, Daughter of Eve."

Susan listened carefully to Aslan's words, but had difficulty understanding. The lion continued, "Your older brother, Peter, will become High King, if all succeeds. He will earn his own way, and will do well to do so. Your sister, young Lucy, if given the opportunity, will grow and change into a fine young lady, capable of doing great things."

Susan wanted to say something, but Aslan did not stop. "But you, Daughter of Eve, have a more significant role to play than you may deem. For you, of all your brothers and sisters, will learn to trust most greatly. For though you doubt now, a time will come when you will be free of that doubt and will learn to trust wholeheartedly."

Then the lion walked away, leaving Susan alone again. She was not entirely certain what Aslan had meant by all of that, but she tried to commit it to memory nonetheless. After all, he was too important not to take very seriously, whether she could understand him or not.

* * *

An hour or two after her conversation with Aslan, Peter and Lucy returned, Edmund woke up, and they all went to a small table set full of food behind one of their tents. The table was filled with all kinds of food, but most notably, toast for hungry children. Peter took his cup and went over to lean on the nearby rock ledge, while the other three sat around the table and began to eat.

Edmund was exceptionally hungry, having not eaten for over a day. After all, he had not eaten anything at the Beaver's home, and was not able to chew and swallow the only piece of food that he had been given down in the Witch's dungeon. So, he was very delighted at the sight of the food, and immediately dug into the toast. He shoveled piece after piece, forgetting his manners along the way.

"Narnia isn't going to run out of toast, Ed," remarked Lucy. She smiled, and Edmund chuckled as he continued to eat.

"I'm sure they'll pack some up for the journey back," said Peter, taking another sip of his drink.

"We're going home?" Susan asked. This was the first time that she had questioned leaving this place since the moment they had first arrived.

"You are," Peter answered, stepping forward away from the rock. He came and sat down at the table with them. "I promised Mum that I would keep you three safe. But, that doesn't mean that I can't stay behind and help."

"But they need us," said Lucy. "All four of us."

"Lucy, it's too dangerous," Peter replied. "You almost drowned – Edmund was almost killed!" Susan knew that Peter was right, though she really did not want to admit it.

"But that's why we have to stay," Edmund said in a near whisper. "I've seen what the White Witch can do, and I've helped her do it. We can't leave these people behind to suffer for it!" He did not mention what Aslan had said about the effects of his betrayal. Edmund knew that worse trouble was coming, and leaving now would mean acting as cowards.

"I suppose that's it, then," Susan said quietly. She stood up from the table, even though she probably hadn't eaten enough yet. She began walking away from her siblings.

"Where are you going?" Peter called after her.

Susan turned around when she reached a nearby tent. She scooped up her quiver and bow. "To get in some practice," she said with a smile. She turned and walked away toward the practice fields. The other children turned and looked at each other for a minute. Then Lucy was the first to stand up and follow her. Before long, the boys were on their way, too.

Edmund and Peter first went off to get some sword-fighting tips from Oreius, the head centaur. Peter used his new sword that he had gotten from Father Christmas, of course, and Edmund was given a different sword that had been in reserve. It was a sturdy sword, of course, but Edmund could not help but feel slightly jealous of Peter's special sword.

After a bit of training on foot, they were given horses to practice on. Besides, it was easier for Oreius to teach them that way, as he was used to using swords on four legs. Peter was given a beautiful white unicorn for his own, while Edmund was given a simple brown horse. Edmund was, of course, even more jealous of Peter's good luck. But he tried to ignore that and just focus on the practicing.

Soon, they were given permission just to ride off and practice on their own. So, they did. At first, they just practiced riding the horses quickly. And since neither one had ever been on a horse more than once in their lifetime, this was necessary practice. Then, at one point, they stopped and began to use their swords.

Meanwhile, Susan and Lucy had taken their new weapons and had headed straight for the practice field, where all sorts of archers and other weapons masters went to polish off their skills. There were over a dozen targets all lined up in a row. Susan and Lucy, when they reached the area, stopped in front of one. Susan immediately pulled out her bow, one of the arrows, and prepared to shoot at the target across from her.

The first few times, Susan missed the target narrowly. She actually turned out to be a better archer than she thought. After five or six shots, she got the arrow to land pretty near the bull's eye. Considering that she had never done any sort of archery in her life before, Susan was very impressed with that. That is, until Lucy pulled out her dagger and immediately through it directly into the bull's eye. Susan considered it a lucky shot, but she knew that Lucy was really a natural.

After a little while, they heard a noise coming from behind them and they turned around. They saw Peter and Edmund riding across the field on their new horses, swords held high in their hands. Susan put down her bow for a minute and just watched them. She noticed how well Edmund was doing, especially, and how he must have caught on very well. She smiled for a moment.

Then, Mr. Beaver came running onto the field. "Peter! Edmund!" he shouted, not noticing the girls nearby.

The boys slowed their horses. Edmund's horse reared up, but Edmund held on tight. "Whoa, horsie!" he said.

"My name is Philip," the horse responded.

"Oh, sorry," said Edmund, a little shocked that he was riding on a talking horse. Right then, he wasn't at all jealous of his brother's horse.

"You'd better come quickly!" Mr. Beaver continued. "The Witch has demanded a meeting with Aslan! She's on her way here!"

Edmund quickly looked over at Peter. Immediately, he was hit with fear and anxiety. He swallowed, climbed down off of Philip, and followed Mr. Beaver. Peter followed him, and the girls soon joined. They had, of course, heard Mr. Beaver's announcement, and were just as worried as Edmund.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** First, to give you my general review of the story:_

_So, this chapter was fun to write simply because I had a little bit of room to play around with the story. (I don't like having to quote the movie constantly. It drives me nuts!) Anyway, I tried to really work in a lot of good talks between the two siblings and Aslan. A lot of forewarning going on here, if you didn't catch it. So, anyway, I hope you enjoyed it._

_And now, for the big announcement part:_

_I've already told this to Aminuleen, but I have to say it to all of you. My brain has taken a temporary vacation from the Narnian fandom. Now, don't get me wrong, I still love the world of Narnia - I'm just in another fandom right now. Anyway, I am not writing any Narnian fics right now. Until I say otherwise, I am merely uploading what is already written. Namely, you will get all of Volume 1, but that's it. So sorry._

_So read and review. And check out some of Aminuleen's stuff. She'd love that._


	7. V1C5 A Table of Trials

**Warnings:** Character death (canon, of course)  
**Summary:** Aslan is willing to save Edmund. But is Susan willing to let Edmund go?  
**A/N:** Chapter set in movie-verse.

* * *

Chapter Five – A Table of Trials 

_"That boy will die on the Stone Table – as is tradition." – Jadis in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe." _

When they arrived back at the main part of camp, all the creatures had come out to see the commotion. The rumor had spread, of course, that the White Witch was on her way here, and no one wanted to miss this. The four children stood in a line near Aslan's tent, which was clearly a position of honor, whether they realized it or not.

As they stood there, they watched as the dwarf approached. "Jadis!" he shouted. "The Queen of Narnia! Empress of the Lone Islands!" He marched through the row of tents, where Peter, Susan, and Lucy had walked only a few days before. As he marched, he was greeted by shouts and cries that they did not belong here, and that they should go back to where they came from. The shouts seemed to have little effect on the dwarf's speed. Meanwhile, behind the dwarf came several cyclopses carrying a platform. On the top of the platform rode the White Witch, herself. She looked very devilish up there, in the children's minds. But she did not move as she rode, despite the multiple large bumps from the bumpy ground.

At last, the cyclopses and the platform reached the end of the row. The ogres set the platform on the ground, and the Witch climbed off. She stepped forward. All were silent. The Witch moved closer to Aslan, making sure to glance quickly at Edmund as she walked by. Then she turned back to the lion. "You have a traitor in your midst, Aslan," she said at last. The moment she said it, the entire camp began whispering amongst themselves. Edmund looked down at the ground, and Susan looked over at him.

"His offense was not against you," Aslan said firmly.

"Have you forgotten the laws upon which Narnia was built?" the Witch asked.

"Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch!" Aslan growled. Edmund was a little shocked to hear the growl, even though he had been afraid of Aslan before. "I was there when it was written," Aslan said, this time more quietly.

The Witch smiled, despite the growl. "Then you will remember well that every traitor belongs to me. His blood is my property." The entire camp was silent and shocked at this statement. Edmund did not speak.

"Try and take him, then," Peter said, thinking quickly, and pulling out his sword. He pointed it toward the Witch, ready to strike if she tried to take his brother.

"Do you really think that mere force will deny me my right, Little King?" the Witch said, looking straight at Peter, as if to tell him that he was really worth nothing at all. Peter let down his sword slowly, but was rather hurt by her words.

Then the Witch continued. "Aslan knows that unless I have blood as the law demands, all of Narnia will be overturned, and perish in fire and water." She quickly turned to Edmund and pointed at him. "That boy will die on the Stone Table, as is tradition. You dare not refuse me!" The children looked at Edmund, while Edmund's breathed heavily. Susan could not believe what she was hearing.

"Enough!" called Aslan, calming the sea of whispers that had erupted after the Witch's announcement. "I shall talk with you alone," he said very quietly. He turned around and retreated into his tent. After a moment of hesitation, she followed, leaving the rest of the army, and the children, alone.

Susan quickly ran over to Edmund. Lucy did the same. "She cannot take you, Ed!" Lucy cried. "She just can't!" Susan wanted to put her arms around his shoulders, but could not do so.

Edmund did not respond. He could not. There were absolutely no words for him to say. Perhaps this was the trial that Aslan had predicted. It would not surprise him, for this obviously proved Aslan's words true, and would prove a much larger trial than what he had expected.

Meanwhile, Susan was feeling rather powerless. Despite her efforts, she could hardly find a way to comfort Edmund. She let Lucy do all of it, however effective it might be. She felt rather guilty of not saying anything at all. But her mouth was not working today, it seemed..

That guilty feeling got worse as they sat and waited for the two great rivals to reemerge from the tent. Susan was unintentionally convincing herself that this may be the last chance she would ever get to speak to Edmund. But still, she could find no words to say to him. She kept thinking of Aslan's words. Was this one of the trials that he had spoken of? She looked over at Edmund, who sat pulling up grass nearby. He, like the rest of them, seemed very anxious, and even slightly bored. For no one wanted to just wait here for the verdict. And Susan could not keep herself from wondering if soon her brother would be pushing up grass rather than pulling it up. She tried desperately to shove these thoughts from her mind, but they would not disappear.

At last, the flap of Aslan's tent flew open. The eyes of a thousand creatures, and four children, flew as well in the direction of the tent. They all began standing as the Witch emerged. She looked at Edmund for a moment. Susan felt as if her heart had completely stopped. Then the Witch began to walk away from the tent. Then Aslan emerged from the tent behind the Witch. He stood by the flaps for a moment, waiting for the Witch to get further away before making his announcement. At last, he said in a clear, strong voice, "She has renounced her claim on the Son of Adam's blood."

Cheers immediately broke out. Susan could hardly believe her ears. Edmund was saved. Her little brother was going to live. She grabbed his shoulders, ready to finally say something to him.

"How do I know your promise will be kept?" the Witch asked, now standing by her platform. Aslan let out a giant roar, which turned everyone's head to him. The Witch climbed on her platform and began to ride away.

Susan, meanwhile, threw her arms around Edmund. She couldn't say any words, but she couldn't stop herself from hugging Edmund anyway. She smiled at him, though, and he smiled back, before turning to hug his other siblings. Susan knew that everything would be all right now. Aslan had taken care of everything.

* * *

That afternoon, the four children did little more than rest and get in a little more practice with their weapons. Susan did not see Edmund much that afternoon, as both resting and practicing involved them being apart. For Edmund stayed in another tent, and he practiced with his older brother, rather than his older sister. 

Both Edmund and Susan did a lot of thinking that afternoon, though, when they weren't on the practice fields. That day had been exceptionally eventful for both of them. Not only had Edmund been rescued, put in danger, and saved again, but both of them had been talked to by Aslan. And both of them had been given warnings and insight into the future. The information for both was vague, but surprisingly, it held much of the same message.

Edmund thought a lot about what might happen to him now. Aslan had forewarned his obstacles and trials, and he had just overcome one with absolutely no effort at all. So, Edmund wondered, what could the obstacles be, and when would he face them? He wanted to be ready, after all, to face anything that might stand in his way.

Edmund also puzzled over the rest of Aslan's warning. He had mentioned that a source of hope would be coming, and that it would come from somewhere unexpected. But, what was the source of hope in this instance?

Meanwhile, Susan was also considering the words that Aslan had said to her earlier that day. The words had certainly been puzzling, at the very least. He had never explained to her why she was so afraid here, but he had said that she would learn to trust more than any of the rest of her siblings. That seemed odd to Susan, somehow, because she had always been the one with the most doubt and the least belief. Why would she learn to trust the most?

* * *

Late that afternoon, as evening approached, the camp was filled with the sounds of cooking, eating, and laughter. It was suppertime. Throughout the camp, the members of Aslan's army gathered together to eat and celebrate the small victory over the Witch that afternoon. 

Like the rest of the camp, the four Pevensie children were getting ready to eat. Lucy and Edmund brought the food that they had gotten from the fauns. Peter tried to help Susan as she got the table ready. But, several times, he did something wrong, and got a quick little scolding from Susan. Finally, he stopped trying to help and let his sister do everything. She wanted everything to be just so, like Mum had shown her. And Peter just messed everything up.

Finally, the children sat down all together to eat. Edmund wasn't quite as hungry as he had been earlier, and so he ate much slower. He still did, however, eat more than any of his other siblings, who had been kept rather well-fed during their journey with the Beavers. Besides, the Narnian food was absolutely delicious, and was quickly growing on each of them. Everything had a certain flavor to it that none of them could explain.

Meanwhile, during the meal, the children were finely able to have a good old-fashioned conversation – their first real meal conversation in a very long time. Each of the children laughed several times during the conversation, and sometimes, all four could be found laughing and smiling at once. They were able to just be kids for once. They laughed about the funny things that the Beavers said or did, or the way a certain faun or centaur might have spoken to them, or anything else they could think of. They felt reconnected as a family for the first time in years. It made all of them feel really good.

When the meal was almost over, and there were only little bits of food left on their plates, Peter cleared his throat, leading the other children to believe that he had something important to say. "Ed," Peter said calmly, "did you tell the girls the news?" Susan looked first at Peter, and then she glanced over at Edmund.

"What news?" she asked. She had thought that she knew everything that was going on now. She hated being left out in the dark.

"Uh, no, Peter, I didn't mention it," Edmund answered, looking down at his food. "I haven't seen them since this afternoon, anyway."

"What is it, Peter?" Susan demanded, now growing rather anxious. "Tell us, now."

"It's nothing, really, Su," Peter said, clearly brushing it off. "We've just learned that the Witch's army is close, that's all. We'll be off to war in the morning."

That was not exactly the best way for Peter to address it. "And you call that nothing, Peter?" Susan said, standing up and growing angrier by the minute. "You say that there's going to be a battle tomorrow, and you call that nothing?"

"Calm down, Su, it's all right," said Peter, seemingly unphased.

"Calm down? How could I calm down, Peter? Calming down is for _after_ a battle, not before one," Susan shouted. "How could I be calm when I know that my brother will be in a battle come tomorrow?"

"He won't be alone, Su," Edmund said, joining in on the conversation. "I'll be there with him, and Oreius, and Aslan, too."

Susan wheeled around to face Edmund. "Oh, no, you won't be going, Ed," she said. "Peter may have Aslan and Oreius, but he certainly won't have you there."

"Why not, Su? I'm just as brave as Peter, and pretty strong, too," Edmund argued. He stood up to face his sister. "Besides, I'm allowed, aren't I? I'm just as much a part of this family as anyone else, and just as much a man as Peter."

"But it's too dangerous for you, Ed!" Susan shouted. "Believe me, if I could talk Peter out of this, I would. I can't stop him, but I can stop you! I won't lose my little brother!"

"You won't lose me, Su," Edmund said. "I promise you, I'll be fine, especially with Aslan and Peter there to look out for me."

"I'll look after him, Susan," said Peter. "I'll make sure he's well looked-after. That's my job, isn't it? Dad told me to look after you all. And look after you I will. I'll make sure that you can all get home safe."

"But what about you, Peter?" Lucy asked, speaking for the first time since the yelling started. "What about you being safe?"

"I can't promise that, Lu," Peter said. "But I can promise that all three of you will get home safe and sound. You have my word as a Knight of Narnia. I swear to you now that you, Lucy, and Susan and Edmund will all get home safely."

"How can you promise that? You don't even know if you can take care of yourself?" said Susan, speaking softly again.

"Because I've learned to take care of my family, that's why," Peter responded.

Susan turned back to Edmund. She still did not want her little brother going off to war. It was far too dangerous for him. "Are you absolutely sure about this, Ed?" she asked.

"Yes, Susan, I'm sure," he said. And, despite all her misgivings, that was all the reassurance that Susan needed to hear.

* * *

"Susan," a faint voice called to her in the dark. Susan must have been sleeping lightly, because she awoke when she heard this. It was Lucy, who was looking a bit distressed. She was sitting up in her bed. Susan looked at her, and then noticed a shadow disappearing outside the tent. She looked back at Lucy, who was now climbing out of bed. Susan had no idea why she was doing this, but she, too, climbed out of bed, grabbed her cloak and bow, and followed her sister. 

They stepped out of the tent and peered around the corner. In the distance, Susan could see the lion, Aslan, disappearing into the forest. She looked down at Lucy, who was looking up at her. Susan pointed ahead, and they began to sneak through the camp. Susan wondered where Aslan was going. And, more importantly, she wondered why they were following him. She had to admit, she was rather curious. But, still, they should be in bed.

But they continued to follow him. The lion continued on at a steady, slow pace through the trees. The girls were not moving at a steady pace, but instead at a very sneaky, broken pace. They were, after all, trying to remain hidden. They darted silently between trees and through clearings, all the while trying to remain hidden from view.

"Shouldn't you both be in bed?" The voice of the great lion stopped the girls in their tracks. For a fraction of a moment, neither one could move.

"We couldn't sleep," said Lucy, as the girls finally decided to step toward the lion.

"Please, Aslan," Susan said, without realizing that she said it. "Couldn't we come with you?"

"I would be glad of the company for a while, thank you," said the lion. His voice was low and calm, not powerful and strong as it usually was. As Susan placed her hand on his mane, she could feel that there was something different about him this night. She feared for what that could be.

For a while, the girls and the lion walked onward. Susan kept her hand buried in his mane, and felt herself drawn to the lion. She wondered what was happening – why he was feeling so different. She looked over at Lucy once in a while. The little girl looked rather sad, as if she knew what was going to happen. Susan wondered how Lucy always knew how a person felt. It was a quality that Susan often wished that she had.

All at once, the lion stopped moving. Susan didn't move her hand, though. For some reason, she couldn't. "It is time," Aslan said, with a slightly stronger voice than before. "From here, I must go on alone." Lucy tried to interject, but Aslan spoke again before she had a chance. "You have to trust me, for this must be done. Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Lucy. And farewell." Then, as if by magic, the girls' hands lifted off his mane, and the lion began to move forward.

For a moment, neither of the girls could react. They just stood there, watching the lion disappear through the trees. Susan looked down at Lucy. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. And it was something that, normally, Susan would have never endorsed. Under normal circumstances, Susan would have suggested going back to bed. But these weren't normal circumstances. So, with a bit of defiance in her eyes, Susan turned to the side and began to walk toward the trees. They would be following Aslan – but this time, they would do it the right way.

The two girls scrambled through the bushes and trees that surrounded them. The night was getting darker, but by now, both girls could see rather well. Susan led the way, pushing aside brambles and branches. Lucy followed behind her, crawling through the brush. Susan felt at least one branch tear her dress, and she wondered how many holes it would obtain by the end of the night.

Suddenly, out of nowhere came a light. It was a soft, distant light. Susan guessed that the light came from torches or fires, as the light was slightly dark and had an orange-like color. She paused and looked back at Lucy. Then they continued onward. The light slowly grew brighter and Susan knew that they were nearing its source. As they continued walking, they started to recognize sounds coming from the direction of the light. It sounded like shouting, squealing, or screaming. Susan couldn't tell, but it didn't sound very good. But the girls continued to walk on. Aslan had to be in this direction.

At last, they came to a clearing. There was a small wall of rocks and bushes along the edge of the clearing, directly across from where they stood. But Susan did not look at the rocks or bushes. She was, instead, looking at what lay beyond them. Past the rocks and bushes, and down a hill, Susan could see where the light was coming from. There was a large stone staircase that climbed up a hill, and at the top, there was a large stone formation that stood over a single stone platform. Surrounding the stairs, the formation, and the platform were dozens and dozens of the most hideous creatures Susan had ever seen. They made all sorts of screeching and squealing noises. Some carried torches, which provided the only light around. For even the moon was hiding.

But, the most curious thing about the scene was not the stone formations, or the hideous creatures. What made the scene strange was the creature that was now walking up the stairs in between all of the other creatures. It was a lion – it was Aslan. Susan watched in horror as the lion walked up through the sea of creatures. As he walked, they taunted him. Susan quickly ducked between some of the rocks, and Lucy followed. They couldn't take their eyes off of the lion.

At the top of the stairs, on the stone platform, stood the White Witch, as far as Susan could tell. But she was not dressed all in white. She wore a long black dress that blended in with her surroundings. For some odd reason, this terrified Susan. It was just a dress, but Susan was scared, anyway. She shook it off, telling herself that she wasn't scared of the dress – she was scared of the Witch.

"Behold, the great lion." The Witch's voice rose above the clamor and echoed in Susan's ears. Her voice was terrible, yet calm. Susan felt her breath starting to quicken. She watched one of the minotaurs as he knocked Aslan to the ground with his axe. The creatures let out a cry as the lion hit the ground, hard.

"Why doesn't he fight back?" Lucy asked. Susan didn't have an answer. That was the same question running through her mind.

"Bind him!" shouted the Witch. The creatures ran toward him with ropes and began to tie him. All they seemed to care about was hurting the poor lion. "Wait! Let him first be shaved," the Witch said. The dwarf, Ginarrbrik, leaped toward the lion. He pulled out his knife, shaved off a part of the mane, and threw it out in the crowd. Moments later, the rest of the creatures leaped down with knives and began to cut wildly. Soon, the lion was completely mane-free and bound with heavy ropes.

"Bring him to me," the Witch ordered. Susan watched as the strongest creatures dragged the lion up onto the platform. Susan realized that this must be the Stone Table that the Witch had mentioned earlier. The Witch had wanted to kill Edmund there. She looked down at Lucy. She had the same look on her face that Susan did. Susan wondered if Lucy knew what was going on, because Susan certainly didn't.

The Witch leaned down and began to whisper to Aslan. Susan could not hear what she was saying – they were too far away. But she could tell by the looks on the faces of the Witch and the lion that the words were not pretty. The Witch touched rubbed Aslan's side, and Susan could see him shudder.

Then, the Witch stood up and began to speak in a very loud voice. "Tonight, the Deep Magic will be appeased! And tomorrow, we will take Narnia – forever!" Cheers and shouts rose up from the creatures surrounding the hill. Susan realized at once what Aslan was doing. But she couldn't look away. For some strange reason, she couldn't.

The Witch spoke a bit softer. "In that knowledge, despair – and die!"

Susan threw her arms around Lucy. Tears flowed down from both of the girls' faces. How could this happen? How could this happen?

* * *

Susan had almost thought that they would never leave. But, finally, the Stone Table and the surrounding area was completely clear of the Witch and her followers. Susan and Lucy waited for several minutes before moving again. They had no desire to be found by the followers of the White Witch tonight. At last, though, Susan plucked up enough courage to stand up from her hiding spot. "Come on, Lucy," she whispered. "Let's go." Lucy stood up, too, and together, the girls ventured down the hill to the stone staircase. 

It seemed amazing to think that only a short time ago, this place, which was now dark and empty, had been filled with the lights and sounds of a whole army gathered on these steps. The moon had re-emerged from its hiding place and illuminated the empty stone hillside. The girls slowly climbed up the stairs, remembering when they had seen Aslan walking this same route. As they reached the top, the Stone Table slowly came into view. And, of course, the cold, dead body of the great lion was there, laying quietly on top. As they moved toward it, Susan could almost feels tears approaching again. She tried to choke them back, but it did little good.

When they reached the table, Susan watched Lucy scramble right up beside the lion. Susan hesitated for a moment. She couldn't bring herself to sit by his side. She knew why he had done what he had done. But she couldn't understand it. She couldn't wrap her mind around it. It was too impossible for her to understand.

She looked up at Lucy, who suddenly seemed to have an idea. Lucy pulled out her cordial and began to unscrew the top. "It's too late," Susan said before she realized she had said it. Lucy looked at her with tears in her eyes and sadness in her face. "He's gone." Susan choked back the tears that she felt coming and tried to smile. She tried to speak reassuringly to her little sister. With a sudden realization, she added, "He must have known what he was doing."

That was true, Susan realized. Aslan must have known all along what it would take to free Edmund. He had mentioned at their first meeting that this would be harder than she thought. She wondered whether this was Aslan's way of giving Edmund the freedom that he had never deserved. Edmund was a traitor, yet Aslan chose to give himself away to free him. That, Susan realized, was love in its purest form. Suddenly, she knew why Aslan had done this. He had done this because he loved Edmund. With that, the tears flowed down Susan's cheeks and she ran up to the table and fell on the lion. She hugged him with everything she had. _Thank you, Aslan, for my brother,_ she thought, wishing that she could say it to him, and wishing that he could hear it.

For a short time, the girls lay on Aslan, weeping. They could hardly do anything else. All at once, they were interrupted by the sounds of gnawing and chewing. Both girls looked up and saw a group of mice gnawing at the cords. "Get away!" Susan cried, waving her hands at them. "Get away, all of you!" But the mice didn't move.

"No," said Lucy. "Look." She pointed to the mice, and Susan now noticed what they were doing. They were snapping all of the cords. They were freeing him. Susan looked at Lucy, and then the two girls began to remove the ropes from his face and around his body. After they had finished, Susan decided that he looked much better when he was completely bound like he had been.

"We have to tell the others," Susan said then. She didn't really want to leave, but it was important that the others know. She didn't want them going to war without knowing that their leader was now dead.

"We can't just leave him!" Lucy argued.

"Lucy, there's no time," Susan told her. "They have to know."

Lucy looked around for a moment. Susan wondered what she was thinking about. Then, Lucy said simply, "The trees." And then Susan understood. A message through the trees – a perfect idea.

* * *

"She's right. He's gone." Peter stepped out of Aslan's tent and stepped toward the table that held the map of Narnia and their battle strategies. Not far away stood the centaur, Oreius, and his brother, Edmund. It was very early morning, with at least several hours left until dawn. Peter and Edmund had been awoken by a dryad, who had brought news from Susan and Lucy – the terrible news that Aslan had met his death. They had hurried to wake up Oreius, but found him already up and working. It seemed that the entire camp was up early this morning preparing for battle. 

Then they had come to Aslan's tent to see if the news were true. And, as it appeared, the news was correct. The great lion was gone. Peter now looked down at the map and puzzled over it. There was going to be a battle today, but now their leader was gone. What were they going to do?

Meanwhile, the news of Aslan's death hit Edmund hard. With shock, Edmund realized what had happened. Aslan must have traded Edmund's death sentence for his own life. Aslan had died because of Edmund's betrayal. Edmund could hardly breath, swallow, or think when he realized this. He was the reason that Aslan was gone. He was the reason that everything was happening like this.

Then, Edmund knew what he had to do. He was free now. But he had to surrender again, this time to Peter's leadership. Aslan would have wanted things that way. Aslan would have wanted Peter to be in charge.

"Then you'll have to lead us," he said. Peter looked at him in surprise. Edmund never admitted that Peter was in charge, or at least, he never had before. It just wasn't like Edmund. "Peter, there's a whole army out there, and they're ready to follow you." It was true – all of Aslan's army would be willing to follow Peter once they heard the horrible news. All that was left was for Peter to decide to lead them.

"I can't," Peter said, trying desperately to think of a reason why he couldn't do it. First off, he was just a boy from Finchley. He wasn't anything special. He couldn't lead his own family, let alone an entire army. He couldn't be a king. He couldn't be anything.

"Aslan believed you could," said Edmund. He thought of Aslan's power and the words that the lion had said to him. He thought of the way Aslan had always looked at Peter. It was clear that Aslan believed strongly in Peter. And then, Edmund dug deeper into himself and admitted something that he would have never said ordinarily. "And so do I."

Those words were very powerful, especially to Peter, who would never have expected to hear Edmund say that to him. He looked at his brother with amazement, and saw only humility and reverence in Edmund's eyes. Something had changed, and Peter saw it immediately.

"The Witch's army is nearing, sire," said Oreius, speaking now for the first time. "What are your orders?"

Peter looked down at the map. He had some ideas about the battle, and they were worth trying. He looked at Edmund, then at Oreius, and then back at Edmund again. Edmund smiled at him, giving him some well-needed reassurance. "First of all, we're going to need a few gryphons and some very heavy boulders."

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** Here's chapter five of Volume 1. As I stated last chapter, I'm only uploading what has already been written. _

_This chapter was tricky because I hated writing the death scene. It's really hard to write the emotions of the characters during that particular scene. I skipped some of the immediate reactions, but I hope it did the job._

_Anyway, horrible author's notes. What I care about is your review. Read and enjoy._


	8. V1C6 Courage is the Best Defense

**Warnings:** N/A  
**Summary:** The battle for Narnia has arrived. Will Susan and Edmund survive? Can Narnia be saved?  
**A/N:** Chapter set in movie-verse.

* * *

Chapter Six – Courage is the Best Defense 

"_Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them." – Ralph Waldo Emerson _

Everyone in the camp had been busy that morning. There was a lot of work to be done, though many of the preparations had been done weeks in advance. The armories were up and running, making last-minute armor adjustments and weapon repairs. Every creature had to be fed and ready to fight by dawn, because everyone and everything that was necessary to win the battle needed to be at the fields of Beruna long before the Witch arrived.

Next to Aslan's tent, Peter was still busy formulating battle plans. Throughout the morning, various generals and important army figures came to meet with him. Everyone wanted to know what was going on, of course. For most of the morning, Edmund was there, too. Even though he was not quite old enough to fully understand all the battle strategies, Edmund did have a few pieces of advice that he gave to his brother. When he wasn't needed, Edmund went off to get himself ready for the upcoming battle.

As he walked away from Aslan's tent and all the strategy planning, he was stopped by one of the centaurs, Sayis, who was one of those who was in charge of armor and weaponry. "Come, your Majesty," he said to Edmund. "I have a suit of armor and a sword ready for you. I just finished them this morning." So, Edmund went off with him to his tent. There, Sayis gave to him a wonderfully-crafted suit of armor, as well as a sword and scabbard. "It may not be as nice as your brother's, your Majesty," Sayis said as he handed Edmund the sword. "But it's the best sword that I've ever made – the lightest, too." Edmund thanked him and went on his way.

Perhaps an hour later, the army was finally ready to march for the fields of Beruna. Peter, seated on a white unicorn and dressed in battle finery, and Oreius, who was now dressed in armor, led the way. They were followed closely behind by Edmund and Mr. Beaver, and the rest of the army. The army was moving at a quick pace, though to Edmund, it felt as if it would take an eternity to reach their destination. They crossed over hills and plains, and finally, they arrived at the fields.

Edmund was impressed by the scope of the soon-to-be battlefield. Most of the area was a large field, covered in light green grass and the occasional small hill. On one side of the field, there was an enormous cliff face. Peter had decided that this would be where they would make their stand. The cliffs would aid the army in defeating another army that was much larger than their own. Edmund was charged with standing at the top of the cliffs with some of the archers. When they were given the signal, they would descend and attack as the enemy was drawn to the rocks.

After a long climb to the top, Edmund looked out over the fields. The weather today was absolutely perfect. He imagined that if there wasn't a battle, this would be the sort of day that the Narnian people would love. They would spend the day outside with friends and family, and no one would have to worry about fighting any battles. He wished that he could be doing that right now, instead of doing this. Though he had never fought in any battles before in his life, he wondered if now was the worst part. Sure, fighting was probably very difficult, but waiting for the battle to start was probably worse. His stomach was tied up in knots, and the opposing army hadn't even arrived yet.

He looked down at Peter, who was just now taking his position at the head of the army. The rest of the creatures had found their positions, too. But Peter was easiest to see, because he was the only one on a white unicorn. Edmund thought of the way his brother had acted this morning. Edmund knew that Peter had changed, and this morning was evidence of that. Peter had stepped up to lead when the leader had fallen. Edmund respected that, and he hoped his brother could see that in himself. Edmund wondered what had ever gone wrong between them, anyway. He couldn't remember a time when Peter hadn't been nasty to Edmund for being younger. But now, maybe that could change. Edmund certainly hoped so.

Then Edmund turned and looked down at Mr. Beaver. He wondered what the beaver thought of him now. Edmund knew that he had hurt Mr. Beaver by betraying his family, but he couldn't help but wonder whether the beaver liked him now or not. "Do you think that we'll be able to win this, Beaver?" he asked suddenly.

Mr. Beaver looked up at him. "We can only hope so. We don't have Aslan, now, least ways." Edmund sighed. "But," the beaver quickly added, "your brother's got himself lots o' courage to be doin' this. Not just any boy could lead a whole army."

"Peter's always been the brave one," said Edmund. He didn't know if that was true or not, but it sounded like the right thing to say.

"Well, now, you've got yourself lots o' courage too, boy. Least, that's how I see it." Mr. Beaver said, keeping his eyes on Edmund for a moment, and then looking back out over the fields. Edmund smiled, but didn't say anything in response. There really wasn't anything for him to say. He turned away from Mr. Beaver and looked forward. Maybe he was brave, after all.

Just then, there was a loud screech. Edmund looked out over the fields and saw something approaching in the sky. Fortunately, Edmund knew who it was right away. It was Seren, the scout gryphon. Peter had sent him out a few hours earlier to find traces of the Witch's army and then to report back to him. It amazed Edmund how beautiful the gryphon looked as he flew through the sky. He was so majestic, so much so that Edmund couldn't take his eyes off of him. Seren flew around the group of people gathered at the top of the cliff and darted down to land beside Peter. Of course, Edmund could not hear what Seren had to say. He imagined, though, that the Witch's army couldn't be too far behind.

And he was right. All at once, Edmund heard faint sounds coming from the distance. Down below, the animals grew restless. They knew something was coming. Edmund glanced down at Mr. Beaver. He was very nervous now. He felt a pang of that strange sensation again. He knew that the Witch had to be close. Then, he saw the head minotaur, Otmin, climbing over the ridge a distance away. Behind him, there marched an army, far greater than Edmund had imagined. He had been in the company of the Witch for a time, but he had never seen so many of her followers at once. His heart nearly stopped for a moment. The worst part was seeing the Witch herself coming over the horizon. Every part of his soul hated her, and all he wanted was to see her destroyed.

Then Edmund looked down toward Peter. They were ready here on the cliff face, but Peter needed to know that before they began the fight. When Peter turned around, Edmund gave a nod, telling him that everything was ready to go. Then, Peter turned back toward the Witch's army, pulled out his sword, and held it high in the air. At that moment, a cry echoed from the mouths of every member of Aslan's army. They were ready to fight. They were ready to die for Narnia.

Then, all at once, a loud roar echoed from the other side of the valley. And then, the Witch's army began to charge forward. All the creatures on that side ran as fast as they could go toward Aslan's army. Peter still continued to hold his position. Edmund drew his sword and held it out in front of him. He wouldn't get to use it on any of the Witch's followers just yet, but it had a purpose. They waited for a while as the army continued to advance. Then, as they drew closer, Peter waved his sword once. That was the signal. Seren took off and began to fly toward the army. Edmund turned and waved his sword in the air as dozens of gryphons flew overhead, all carrying large boulders.

As the Witch's army ran, the gryphons soared through the sky. Their objective, as thought of by Peter, was to cause chaos in the ranks of the Witch's army and get rid of a few of the creatures on the way. The boulders could kill quite a few creatures with one fell swoop, and there was very little risk involved for the gryphons. Even though some of the archers of the opposing army were able to get rid of some of the gryphons, most were successful. Overall, it was a successful campaign.

Edmund looked back down at Peter. It was almost time to begin the charge. Any moment now, Aslan's army would be on their way to fight. Edmund glanced over at Mr. Beaver. "Are you with me?" he asked, though he couldn't say why.

"I'm with you, boy, to the end," the good beaver replied.

"I'm glad, Beaver," Edmund said to him. "I'm very glad."

A moment later, Edmund heard a cry from down below. "For Narnia, and for Aslan!" shouted Peter, raising his sword. With shouts and cheers, the army of Narnia took off and began charging toward the army of the White Witch. Edmund watched as the two armies ran toward each other. He felt the tension mount as they approached one another. Finally, though, the cheetahs collided with the tigers, and the battle for Narnia had begun.

* * *

Susan wasn't entirely certain how she had been able to fall asleep. The only thing she knew was that she had just woken up on top of a dead lion. She sat up slowly and looked around. It was very early morning, barely dawn. She was very tired, since she had not gotten a proper amount of sleep last night. But the morning light felt good on her face, even if her heart was still in mourning.

For the first time in a while, Susan was able to just sit and think. She did not want to wake up Lucy, who was still sleeping peacefully on Aslan's head. Her sister had been through too much already – rest was what Lucy needed the most now. Besides, Susan wanted to be able to think before having to move. She wanted to be able to sort out her never-ending thoughts before having to deal with anything else.

As she looked up at the sky, Susan realized what was happening today. She remembered the brief fight that she had had with her brothers yesterday evening. She had almost forgotten about it during the events of the night before. Today was the battle. Her brothers were going to war today. And she couldn't be there to look after them. Peter could look after himself well enough, but Susan wanted to be there to look after Edmund. She always had been there to look after him, ever since he had been born. She had never thought about it before, but it hurt her to think that he would be going off to war without her beside him.

All of a sudden, she felt a tear or two running down her cheek. She wiped them away with one hand. She told herself that she wouldn't cry now. She couldn't stop it, so she shouldn't cry for it. She had to be strong now, for Edmund and for Lucy. Then, she decided, perhaps it was best to wake Lucy up now. They needed to be heading back soon. They couldn't just stay here forever. She put her hand on Lucy's shoulder and began to shake it gently. "Lucy, wake up. Wake up, Lu," she said softly. The little girl stirred, opened her eyes, and began to look around.

"We should go," Susan told her, once Lucy was completely awake. Lucy looked at her and then back at the lion. She had nothing to argue. Susan slid off the table and walked over toward her sister.

"I'm so cold," Lucy said, still sitting on the table. Then, she took Susan's hand and slid off onto the ground. Susan cradled her younger sister in her arms. Together, they began to walk away from the table. At one point, Lucy turned back to look at the lion one last time. Then she turned around, and Susan wrapped her arms tighter around Lucy's shoulders. They continued to walk. That is, until a loud noise and a large shake knocked the girls onto their knees.

Susan didn't know what to think. She threw her hands out in front of her to stop the fall. Then she steadied herself, so that she wouldn't fall forward if another shake happened. But Lucy had found something else. "Susan!" Lucy cried. Susan turned her head in the direction that Lucy was facing. Both girls stood up and began to walk toward the table. That was when Susan saw that Aslan was missing, and the table, where they had just been sleeping, was cracked in half. "Where's Aslan?" Lucy asked as the girls walked closer.

"What have they done?" Susan asked very quietly. She knew that the Witch's followers must have taken him. But she didn't understand how they could have done it, or why they didn't get her and Lucy. She looked at the table curiously. What could have possibly happened here?

At that moment, the sun began to shine brightly through the stone formation. Susan and Lucy looked up and saw a large figure approaching. When the figure blocked the sunlight, they could see who it was. It was Aslan. "Aslan!" the girls shouted, and they ran toward him. Susan could not believe her eyes. As she threw her arms around the great lion, her heart leapt with joy. For once in her life, Susan forgot to try and figure out what was going on. She rejoiced in what she saw and felt. She listened to Aslan laugh and she felt glad.

Then Susan began to speak again. "But we saw the knife – the Witch..." she started to say.

But Aslan interrupted her. "If the Witch knew the true meaning of sacrifice, she might have interpreted the Deep Magic differently." He began to walk around the table, and the girls followed. "That if a willing victim, who has committed no treachery, is killed in a traitor's stead, the Stone Table would crack, and even death itself would turn backwards."

Susan smiled. Even though it didn't make perfect sense, she was glad. Then she remembered her brothers again. "We sent the word that you were dead," she said to Aslan. "Peter and Edmund will have gone to war."

Lucy quickly pulled out the dagger which was on her belt. "We have to help them," she said.

Aslan laid his paw on the knife and lowered it slightly. "We will, dear one," he said calmly. "But not alone." Susan looked at him, curious. "Climb on my back. We have far to go, and little time to get there." Susan wasn't sure about this, but she climbed on top of him anyway. "And you may want to cover your ears," the lion added, as he let out a great roar.

* * *

Edmund hated standing and watching the battle rage on below him. He hated not being able to help yet. He wanted to go down there and kill some creatures for himself. But, for now, his job was to stand here and wait. They had one last trick to pull before he would be allowed to descend and really fight. But Edmund wanted to help now, not later. Perhaps he was a bit too impatient.

Down below, the battle went on. Peter and the others fought bravely. Many lost their lives. But, even though they didn't know it, the enemy was losing men faster then they were. Some of the momentum had been lost from the initial charge, but the Narnian army still had a lot of power left in them.

As Edmund watched, the Witch began to move her chariot forward. She was coming to fight for herself. This was the moment that Edmund was supposed to wait for. "Fire!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. The centaur beside him picked up her bow and fired an arrow out into the sky. Edmund watched as the arrow burst into flame and a phoenix began to swoop toward the enemy. He watched as one of the Witch's flying creatures tried to attack it, but was killed by a spear that flew from Peter's hand. And, he watched as the phoenix swooped down and set the ground on fire. A line of fire now stood between the Narnian army and the Witch's army. Edmund smiled, and many of the warriors cheered.

But, momentarily, the fire was gone. The Witch used her wand to eliminate it, and the enemy pushed forward. Edmund watched Peter, and Peter turned around, lowered his helmet, and shouted, "Fall back! Draw them to the rocks!" He began to ride toward the cliff. A horn sounded, indicating that the army was falling back.

"That's the signal!" shouted Mr. Beaver. They had been waiting for the horn to blow. "Come on!" he cried, and he and Edmund took off running down the hill. Now, Edmund would get the chance to fight. They darted down the hill until they came to a ledge in between the rocks. There, they lined up and prepared to attack. The enemy would come in through here, and the archers would be ready. They would kill off some of the creatures before they reached the rocks.

Edmund held up his sword. He was in command of the archers. On his word, they would fire. He watched as their army began to slowly filter in through the rocks. Once they reached the ledge, they would be able to catch their breath for a moment before resuming their fighting. Soon, the enemy began to filter in through the rocks, too. When they were close enough, Edmund waved his sword, and a wave of arrows went flying over the heads of their comrades, straight to the enemy's ranks.

Edmund noticed Peter riding toward them. He rode proudly with his sword held high. All of a sudden, however, his horse was hit by an arrow from above, and Peter went flying onto the ground nearby. Edmund gasped, horrified. On the ground, Oreius saw Edmund's facial expression change, and he turned to see Peter on the ground, horseless. To make matters worse, Edmund could see the Witch approaching. Peter would be killed.

Then, Oreius and the rhino next to him looked at each other and began to charge toward the enemy. They were going to protect Peter, or die trying. Edmund could hear Peter yelling at them to stop, but they kept running. The rhino hit the enemy first. He began hitting creatures left and right as he charged through. Then his leg was attacked by an ankle-slicer, and he fell to the ground. Oreius leapt over him and continued to run. His first target was the head minotaur, Otmin. The minotaur leapt on top of Oreius, but the centaur was able to throw him off and kill him. Then the centaur ran toward the Witch. Edmund watched in horror as he tried to attack her, but was hit by her wand and turned to stone. The battle was not going all that well.

* * *

Susan could honestly say that she had never been on a ride quite like this one. A train might possibly move faster, but somehow, she doubted it. Besides, the train was not a living creature – this amazing running lion was. She looked all around her at the passing landscape. It was breathtaking, and surprisingly, it was not moving at a fast speed. On a train, you couldn't see the landscape nearly as clearly as she could now.

"Where are we going?" she asked at one point, but she knew that Aslan would not answer. He did not really need to give an answer, and Susan really did not need to hear one. As he ran across the landscape, Susan thought that she could see a castle rising up in the distance. She recognized the castle, or at least, so she thought. She realized, then, that they were approaching the Witch's castle. She had been here before, but last time, it had been completely frozen. Now, a lake of water surrounded it.

"Hang on," Aslan commanded them as he ran through the trees toward the castle. Susan looked down at Lucy, who looked back up at her. Neither one of them had any idea how they were going to get across all that water.

But, only minutes later, the two girls found themselves running through the corridors and courtyards of the Witch's castle. Susan could not believe what they found there. Edmund had never mentioned all the statues that stood everywhere. Then again, Edmund hadn't wanted to talk about any of his experiences. Susan imagined that seeing all of these statues might have been difficult for him. She remembered the statues that they had seen outside the tunnel near the Beavers' home. That had nearly made her cry, but this – she had no words for it.

She followed Lucy through the corridors. When Lucy stopped, so did Susan. She looked around at all of the statues. These had all once been living creatures. Now, they were nothing but memories. Suddenly, Susan noticed that Lucy was acting strangely. She turned around to see what Lucy was looking at. It was one of the statues. As they walked closer to the statue, Susan had a feeling that Lucy knew who this was. But it wasn't until Lucy began to sob that Susan realized who it was. She cradled Lucy in her arms, feeling a tear run down her own cheek. She kissed her sister on the top of her head and held her tightly.

Then, Susan watched as the great lion stepped up in front of the statue. Slowly, he breathed a long, slow, deep breath onto the statue. Susan was surprised to see the hair ripple as the air passed through it. Aslan backed off, and as the girls watched, the gray of the statue began to fade away, and the colors of life began to come back to his face. Sounds began to come out of his mouth. A smile began to creep over Susan's face. Then, with a thud, he fell into Lucy's arms. He looked up at Lucy, who was now smiling. They laughed as they held onto each other.

Lucy turned to Susan. "Susan, this is..." she began, still smiling.

"Mr. Tumnus!" Susan exclaimed, as she rushed forward. She threw her arms around the faun, and Lucy joined her. Soon, all three were locked in an embrace. Susan felt as much joy now as she had had when she had first seen Aslan again.

Then, as if on cue, the great lion appeared again. "Come, search the castle," he said, as a few other creatures appeared in the room. "Peter will need all the help we can find." Susan nodded and ran off toward the other rooms. Lucy followed her. They had to help Aslan find the rest of the statues.

Susan could hardly believe her eyes as she watched the lion moving through the castle. Each breath that he breathed turned a statue back into a living, breathing creature. Most were already dressed in armor. Susan guessed that they had been fighting the Witch when she turned them to stone. Many of the creatures bowed to Susan when they saw her, for they knew that she was destined to be their Queen. Her heart was glad as she watched them all return to life. She was happiest, though, as she watched Lucy running through the castle, hand in hand with her friend, Tumnus the faun.

At last, the lion announced that they had saved every statue in the castle. It was time to go to join the battle against the Witch. The newly-revived creatures cheered. They wanted nothing more than to take revenge against the Witch for what she had done to them and to Narnia. Susan was impressed by their enthusiasm. She and Lucy climbed on Aslan's back again. He would take them to the battle, where they and all their new companions would fight.

Aslan did not run quite as fast on the way back. He had to make sure that the rest of the new army was still behind him. But the journey was not so far this time. In less than an hour, Aslan stopped and said that they were coming to the battlefield. From here, Susan and Lucy would have to run, just like the rest of the army. But that didn't really bother Susan all that much.

* * *

By now, the attack from above was pointless. The enemy had filled the space below, and the Narnian army was kept busy fighting them. Edmund led the archers down to the ground, where they would engage in hand-to-hand combat. As they ran, Edmund knocked down a few of the oncoming creatures. Soon, he fought his way onto the ground where Peter was fighting. Enemy warriors surrounded them, but the Narnian fighters did not give up easily.

For a while, Peter let Edmund fight as he would. So far, his brother was doing quite well. Even if he was only fighting with a shield, Edmund seemed to have things well under control. Besides, Peter had his own trouble to face. The Witch's creatures were everywhere, and many of them came directly for Peter, knowing that he was the leader of the army. But then, Peter saw the Witch looking at him. She had just fended off two gryphons with her sword and wand, and now, she was obviously planning to come for Peter. That meant that Edmund was in danger, too. Peter knew right then what he had to do. He had promised that all three of his siblings would get home safely. And he was going to keep that promise.

"Ed!" he shouted over the noise of the battle. Edmund turned to face him. "There's too many! Get the girls and get them home!" Peter shouted, knocking over an enemy or two as he did so.

Edmund didn't move for a moment. Then he felt a tug at his arm. It was Mr. Beaver. "Come on, you heard him!" the beaver shouted as he pulled on Edmund's sleeve. "Let's go!" Edmund looked back at Peter, but knew that he had to go. He began to climb up a nearby hill. He didn't want to go, but Peter had given the orders, and Peter was in charge. As they reached the top of the hill, however, Edmund and Mr. Beaver looked back at the battle. Edmund could see Peter fighting off several very large creatures. But, then, when Edmund turned his head, he could see the Witch headed straight for Peter. Edmund knew that Peter had no chance against the Witch's wand. If she reached him, he would be turned to stone. Edmund drew his sword and began to move back down the hill. "Peter said get out of here!" Mr. Beaver shouted.

"Peter's not king yet," Edmund replied, and began to charge down the hillside. He ran across the ledges through some enemy ranks. He spotted the dwarf, Ginarrbrik, about to kill a faun. As he ran by, Edmund slashed the dwarf and sent him to the ground. Then he continued onward. He saw the Witch advancing toward Peter. He ran over to the ledge above her and prepared to jump. With an outcry, he leaped down, aiming for her wand. Unfortunately, she heard him and turned around. Edmund could see how angry she was and feared at that moment for his life.

At that moment, the Witch raised her wand and thrust it toward Edmund. As she did so, Edmund raised his sword, swung it up in the air, and brought it down on top of the wand. Instantly, the wand shattered, emitting a bright blue light. A distance away, Peter heard the noise and turned toward the source of the blue light. He saw Edmund and the Witch facing each other. It was then that the Witch knocked Edmund's sword out of his hand, and with the remains of her wand, she stabbed Edmund in the stomach. The last thing he knew, Edmund could see the Witch's eyes, full of fury, and he sank to the ground, wondering if he was going to die now.

* * *

As he watched his brother being stabbed by the Witch, Peter could only cry out, "Edmund!" He watched in horror as his brother fell to the ground. He saw the Witch throw aside her broken wand. Then, with rage building up inside of him, Peter stomped on the nearby creature and began to run toward the Witch. The Witch picked up a nearby sword and prepared to fight him. Peter threw aside a minotaur as he ran, and at last, he reached the Witch. He swung his sword at her face.

Peter could honestly say that he had never been so angry in his life, even when Edmund had infuriated him. This was a sort of rage that Peter had never known. He swung his sword wildly at the Witch, thinking only of killing her for hurting Edmund. He blocked her blows and tried to stay on the offensive. However, the Witch managed to cut slightly across his face and sent him to the ground. As he stood back up, he felt the small cut that he now suffered on his face. It was hardly anything in comparison to the pain he was already feeling. He swung his sword at the Witch again, now more intent than ever at getting rid of her. Then she swung her swords at him, and by bending backwards, he narrowly escaped his death.

For a moment, the two circled each other, for both were equally powerful with their swords. Then, Peter swung his sword around and swung it at her again. He blocked and swung, and blocked and swung. All of a sudden, the fighting stopped and the two warriors turned toward the mountains. There, they saw an amazing sight. It was Aslan. He roared loudly, proving that he was, in fact, alive. "Impossible," the Witch muttered. Peter was thinking the same thing. And then, as Peter watched, it seemed that a whole other army had arrived with the lion. And there, with the army, ran his sisters.

Then, as if they were coming back to reality, the Witch swung her sword at Peter. Fortunately, he was able to dodge the attack. He continued to block and attack, block and attack, over and over again. Once again, the world was only himself and the Witch, stuck in an epic battle.

All at once, the Witch was able to hit Peter's leg, causing him to fall to the ground. She quickly stuck her sword through the chain mail on his arm. As he cried out in pain, he realized that he was pinned to the ground. He lifted his shield and tried to fight her off, but she knocked it out of his hands. Then, she lifted her sword and prepared to end the life of the "little king."

* * *

When Susan and the others arrived at the battlefield, she looked out over the view that lay before her. She could see the remains of two armies lying everywhere. And, she could see the two armies still fighting in between the rocks. It would be their job to end this fight. She looked up at Aslan, who roared to let the enemy know that they had come. Then Susan looked at Lucy. Her sister was no longer sad, nor smiling. They were both perfectly serious, and perfectly ready to fight.

Moments later, they began charging down the hillside. Most of the other creatures passed the girls as they ran. They filled the cracks and knocked aside anyone who got in their way. The enemy began to crumble at the feet of this new force. Susan didn't even have to do any of the work. All the enemy creatures were dead by the time she reached them. The opposing army just could not stand up to this brand-new, fired-up onslaught.

Meanwhile, Aslan was on a mission. The Witch was about ready to kill Peter. As she stood to do it, the great lion pounced on her and threw her to the ground, quite a few feet away. After looking into her eyes for a moment, he proceeded to finally rid the world of the infamous White Witch, ending her reign forever.

Peter stood up, throwing the sword that had pinned him to the ground aside. As he stood, he saw Aslan standing there, across the way. The world seemed to fade into a blur as Peter watched the lion. Slowly, but surely, the lion turned to face the boy. With a soft, gentle voice, he said, "It is finished." Peter nodded slightly, and sighed a breath of relief. Narnia was safe – they had won.

It was then that Susan spotted Peter standing there. "Peter!" she shouted, and she and Lucy ran to him. Lucy threw her arms around her brother, and Peter held her tight. Susan, however, was focused on something else. She looked around, and looked at Aslan. She could see the Witch lying dead behind him. Then, she turned to Peter. "Where's Edmund?" she asked. The look on Peter's face at that moment nearly killed her. He turned in another direction, looking scared, numb, and worried all at the same time. Susan knew what that meant – Edmund had been hurt, and he was lying somewhere in that direction. Without another word, she took off in the direction that Peter had looked. Peter and Lucy followed right behind.

Suddenly, she saw him. Edmund was lying on the ground, still breathing, but barely. She also saw someone approaching. It was Ginarrbrik, whom Edmund had already injured. He was holding his ax and was about to finish off the little boy. "Edmund!" Susan shouted. She quickly lifted her bow, nocked an arrow, and fired. The arrow hit the dwarf and he fell to the ground. Then, Susan ran to Edmund.

She could see that he was having trouble breathing. Immediately, she began to undo his helmet. When she had finished, she lifted it off and set it to the side. She settled his head on her lap. Then, she looked at Peter and Lucy and back again at Edmund. Lucy, who had already taken out her cordial, leaned over Edmund's face and allowed a single drop of juice to enter his mouth.

For a moment, nothing happened. Susan felt tears about to emerge from her eyes as she watched her little brother. _This cannot be happening,_ she thought. _I'm so sorry, Edmund. I wasn't here for you, and now this happened. I'm sorry, little brother. I'm so sorry._ She looked up at Peter. For a brief instant, she was angry at him, but then her anger subsided and turned back into despair.

Then, suddenly, Edmund began to cough. Hope began to rush back into Susan's heart. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his brother. A smile quickly crept over Susan's face as Edmund looked over at his sisters. Quickly, Peter lifted Edmund off the ground and began to hug him like he had never done before. Susan could see the tears on Peter's face as he embraced the brother that he had almost lost. "When are you gonna learn to do as you're told?" Peter asked through his joy-filled tears. All four of the children smiled, especially Susan. She had never seen her brothers this happy before. After a moment, Lucy leapt onto Edmund, and Susan joined too. It wasn't long before all four of the children formed one big pile of hugs and tears and smiles.

Then, they heard something behind them. They separated and turned around. It was Aslan, who was freeing one of the statues who had fought in the battle. The satyr stumbled and recovered from his state. Aslan looked over at the children, specifically at Lucy. Then, Lucy, taking the hint, scooped up her cordial, stood up, looked at her siblings, and took off. She had some work to do.

Peter stood up from his place. "I'd better go with her," he said. "The fighters will be glad to see me, anyway." Then he ran after his little sister. He wanted to see who had survived this terrible battle, and he wanted to thank them.

"Are you all right?" Susan asked Edmund after Peter and Lucy had gone. She put her hand on her brother's shoulder.

"I'm a little sore, but I think I'll manage," he said, rubbing his old hurt lip.

"I'm so glad to see you, Ed. I nearly thought I was going to lose you."

"Well, you didn't," he said. "But, I thought Aslan was gone. How..."

"It doesn't matter, Ed," Susan interrupted. "What matters is that he's alive, and you're all right."

"And Narnia is safe," Edmund added.

"Yes, Narnia is safe now," Susan agreed. She smiled at him. Edmund noticed that Susan didn't bring up going home now that they had won. And, he decided, he wasn't going to bring that up. He was glad that Susan had finally decided to give Narnia a chance, or so it seemed. Everything was working out perfectly.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** Here's chapter six of Volume 1. One more chapter to go, and then this will be done - for now._

_There are a lot of little parts to this chapter. It's hard to go through two storylines at once when the plot is already dictated for you. But I hope you understood what was going on. And there was a little Peter-moment in there, too._

_Anyway, read and review. Thanks._


	9. V1C7 To Realize A Dream

**Warnings:** N/A  
**Summary:** The beginning of a new age for Narnia.  
**A/N:** Chapter set partially in movie-verse.

* * *

  
Chapter Seven – To Realize A Dream 

_"The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle." – Anais Nin _

The rest of that day was no more than a blur to the children. Lucy and Peter spent the rest of the morning, and most of the afternoon, caring for the wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Lucy kept going the whole time, and Peter only stopped once to fetch both of them something to eat. Lucy was determined to save every soldier that she could, and time was precious. Each of the soldiers that she saved thanked her with their whole hearts, and many swore that they would always be loyal to the young Queen. Peter was happiest to see Oreius, whom Aslan turned back into a living centaur. He even gave the centaur a large hug, which, surprisingly, Oreius received warmly.

Meanwhile, Susan decided to accompany Edmund and some of the others back to the camp. A whole company of creatures who had not been injured rounded up the wounded and walked with them back to camp. Everyone needed rest that day, especially those who had been wounded. As they walked back, Edmund and Susan talked about what had happened during the past twelve hours. Edmund explained some of the battle strategies and the jobs he had done. Susan briefly talked about Aslan's death, but focused instead on what had happened after he had come to life again.

"I couldn't believe that he was alive again," she said to him. "I mean, we had seen him die, but...there he was, right in front of us. It was amazing."

"I'm sure," Edmund replied. Of course, he hadn't even been there when Aslan had come to the battlefield. He didn't know what it felt like to be amazed by a return like that.

"But, I must say, the best part of the day was when Lucy's cordial brought you back to us," Susan added, noticing the tone in Edmund's voice. "I thought we'd lost you. I'd been so worried, and then you were nearly dead..." She stopped suddenly as her throat caught. She remembered the thoughts she had had that morning.

"What's wrong, Su? Are you all right?" Edmund asked, looking over at Susan. He saw her face turning slightly red.

"I'm fine," Susan finally said. "I'm sorry. Everything's fine, I promise."

"All right," Edmund replied. He was sure that there was something else, but he knew that Susan would never bring it up. He was content to just let her forget whatever it was and move on. He put his hand on her shoulder, though. She looked over at him. He smiled at her. "It's all right, Su," he said. She smiled back at him. For a moment, life felt almost good.

When they finally arrived back at camp, Susan walked with Edmund to the tent that he had shared with Peter. "I haven't been in here since very early this morning," Edmund said as he sat down on the hammock. "Gosh, I'm tired." He stretched his hands up in the air and yawned.

"You must be," Susan told him. She laughed as he yawned. She couldn't help thinking of how adorable he looked. "Get some sleep, all right?"

"I will, Susan," he said. He lay down onto the hammock and stretched his legs out. He pulled the blanket over his shoulders. Susan turned to go. "Oh, and Su?" Edmund said, suddenly.

"What, Edmund?"

"Thanks, for everything." Then Edmund shut his eyes and made himself comfortable. Susan smiled. Then, she turned and left the tent. She lowered the flaps softly and stepped away. Then she began to walk back to her own tent. She hadn't realized before how tired she was. But now, she felt exhausted. She let out a yawn of her own. After all, yawns were contagious.

She wandered back to her tent, opened the flaps, and crawled inside. She took off her cloak and laid aside her weapons. Then, with another yawn, she settled herself on her own hammock. It felt better than any bed ever had felt before. She pulled up the blanket and shut her eyes. Within a few minutes, Susan had fallen completely asleep.

* * *

The next week or so was spent in preparation for the upcoming coronation of the kings and queens. The first few days were spent packing up the army camp and returning to the castle Cair Paravel. When Susan first saw Cair Paravel, she thought it had to be the most beautiful place she had ever seen. The castle itself was very impressive, but it was the sight of the beach and the ocean behind the castle that took Susan's breath away. She longed to walk along the beach at that very moment, but would not have her chance just yet. 

That evening, each of the children slept in their own new chambers. The rooms were very big, but rather undecorated. The Narnians informed the children that during this week and after, the rooms would be refurbished and redecorated based upon the traits and personalities of the inhabitants. Each child's chambers would be different than the others, so as to personalize their living quarters. But, for now, the children were content just to sleep in peace.

Beginning the following morning, however, the children could not simply rest in peace. They had many things to do, many obligations that they needed to fulfill. The tailors needed the children's aid to fashion the robes for the coronation. Susan spent hours standing in one place while they tried different methods of putting the cloth together. Most of these tailors, of course, had not made clothes for human children before, and were rather inexperienced.

The children had meetings with the current leaders of Narnia to discuss the current state of the country and what issues they would need to address after their coronation. This job was crucial to each of the children for different reasons. Peter was going to be the High King, and would have the most say in how the country would function. Susan, Edmund, and Lucy would need to be delegated their own individual duties to perform. Though, they ultimately decided that this delegation would come in time, as they learned what each child was best at doing.

The children also became acquainted with various other citizens of Narnia. Hundreds of Narnians arrived in the small city surrounding Cair Paravel, all with the intention of attending the upcoming coronation. So, the children were able to meet people who lived in nearly every part of Narnia. Some of them had been statues and had been revived after the battle when Aslan traveled through Narnia to find them. They were astoundingly grateful to the children for coming and saving Narnia.

Much of their time, however, was spent doing nothing more than relaxing and simply being children again. The Narnians would not allow them to help too much with the preparation for the coronation. They were not allowed to assist anyone with the decorations, the food, or anything else that was necessary for the coronation. The Narnians insisted that this was because the celebration was in honor of them and they should not have to do any of the work. The children would later guess that this also had to do with the fact that the Narnians were typically perfectionists when it came to celebrations and parties, and didn't want the children to ruin anything.

So, instead, the children spent many hours down by the beach, playing in the water, running along the shore, and even building a sand castle or two. They played many different forms of tag during these times, usually with Peter winning – he was the fastest, of course. They laughed and smiled often during their games. Lucy was able to feel like the child that she still was again. Edmund played games that he would have never wanted to play back home in England. Susan was reminded of the fun of just being a silly little child. And Peter remembered how much fun he could have with his brother and sisters when he gave it the chance.

At the end of each day, the children were able to eat supper together, and then they went off to their own chambers to sleep. Each night, they slept peacefully, knowing that Narnia was safe. And though, once in a while, they worried about their upcoming roles in society, they were generally content. And their dreams were filled with joy and laughter, and they were happy.

* * *

In the evening on the day before the coronation was to occur, Aslan the great returned from his journey through Narnia. All the people of Cair Paravel rejoiced in his coming. The children, too, were very glad to see him. He was going to preside over their coronation. And, besides, the children had grown rather close to him. Though they had known him only a short while, he was the sort of person that once you spoke with him, you felt as if you had known him for a lifetime. 

And speaking with him was the reason that Aslan had come this day, and not the next. He wanted to speak with each of the children individually. He wanted to instruct them as to their upcoming role as King or Queen, what would happen during the ceremony, and to answer the questions that lingered in their minds. So, he instructed them to wait in their chambers until he came. Then, one by one, beginning with Lucy, he would visit them, and together, they would talk. So, the children left to go off to their rooms to wait for Aslan.

When the lion arrived at Lucy's chambers, the little girl was sitting and waiting on the bed. As soon as he walked in, she jumped up and ran over to him. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him an enormous hug. "I'm so glad you're back, Aslan," she said to him.

"I am glad, as well, dear child," the lion replied, with a bit of laughter in his voice. "It is always good to see you, Lucy."

"It is always good to see _you_," Lucy replied, giggling. She couldn't help it. Something about Aslan made her feel happier down inside.

"Now, child, we must be serious again, for a moment," said Aslan, speaking now more firmly, but still brightly. "Tomorrow, you shall become one of the Queens of Narnia – the youngest of four rulers. And I believe that you are ready."

"Really, Aslan?" Lucy asked. "Do you really think that I'll make a good Queen?"

"Yes, dear child," the lion told her. "You are very smart for such a little girl, and you have more faith and trust than your brothers and sister. You see things differently than they, and that will be invaluable in the days to come."

"I guess that's true," Lucy said, thinking about the times that she had thought one thing and everyone else had thought the opposite.

"As the youngest, Lucy, your job will not always be to lead, but instead your job will often be to follow. There will come moments when you will need to step up and lead the people, but there will also be many instances where following will serve Narnia better than leading. Do you understand?"

"Not completely, Aslan," Lucy admitted. "What do you mean by following?"

"Following can mean many things, child," Aslan replied. "Sometimes, it will just mean following orders given to you by one of your brothers or your sister. Other times, following may mean staying behind when others are moving ahead. And still other times, following may simply meaning giving help and comfort to those behind or those in the lead, rather than trying to lead for yourself. Do you understand it now, Lucy?"

"I think so, Aslan," she answered. "Maybe not completely, but I think I can figure it out."

Aslan chuckled for a moment. "Yes, I believe you will, Lucy," he said with a smile. "Indeed, you will." He put his paw on her shoulder. Instinctively, Lucy reached both her hands up to the paw and wrapped them around it. Then, she laid her head against him.

"I love you, Aslan," she whispered.

"And I love you, dear Lucy," he whispered back. "Now, why don't you get some sleep, so that you can be well-rested for the celebrations tomorrow?" He paused and looked to the door. "Besides," he added with a slight wink, "I do believe that there is someone outside the door whom I have to attend to. Good-night, dear Lucy," he said. And with that, the lion disappeared from the room, leaving a tired Lucy to get ready for bed.

* * *

The soon-to-be High King left the room where Aslan had met with the four of them right away, but he did not head straight to his chambers. He knew that Aslan would be going to visit Lucy first, and if he went in order, the lion would not be arriving at his chambers for quite some time. So, Peter went off to the kitchens first to grab a bit of something to eat. He found himself a nice small loaf of bread. He began eating it as he made his way back to his chambers. 

As he passed Lucy's chambers, he could hear the lion talking to her, though he couldn't make out what they were saying. He knew that Aslan would be good to his little sister, so he had no concern whatsoever. He began to walk down the hallways. He decided to take the longer route that passed by Susan's chambers and several other large rooms. Peter noticed how quiet the castle was in the evening.

When he finally arrived back at his own chambers, Peter opened the door slowly. He had finished his bread already, and was planning to enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen just yet. Inside, standing by the bed, was the great lion, Aslan. A look of surprise came over Peter's face. Aslan had just been in Lucy's room, hadn't he?

"You seem surprised to see me, Son of Adam," the lion said. His voice was bold and proud, but Peter could tell that there was a slight bit of humor hidden somewhere underneath. "Were you not expecting me?"

"I... I... I didn't know that you were going to come to visit me so soon, Aslan," Peter stammered. He decided against mentioning that he had heard the lion's voice in Lucy's room only minutes before.

The lion laughed deeply and firmly. Peter felt his face growing red. He had never heard Aslan laughing before like this, and all because of his silly mistake and silly words. Peter wanted to melt into the floor and fade away. Then, the lion stopped laughing all at once. He looked straight at Peter. "Come to me, Son of Adam," the lion commanded, all humor now drained from his voice. Peter stepped forward, reluctantly, toward the great lion. His embarrassment now mixed with feelings of intimidation. He suddenly felt rather afraid of the lion standing before him. "Do not fear, my son," the lion continued, and he breathed a breath of courage on Peter's face. Immediately, the redness faded from Peter's face, and he could feel a bit of courage returning to him. "There, do you fear now, my son?" the lion asked.

"No, I fear no longer," Peter said, hardly aware of what he said. All he knew was that he felt stronger and braver and smarter all at once. He felt better than he had in a long time.

"Peter, tomorrow, you shall become the High King of Narnia," Aslan began. Peter nodded, recalling their first conversation back at camp. He could hardly believe that it had already been at least ten days since that time. It felt as if only a few hours had passed. "I believe that you are ready."

Some of the courage disappeared from Peter almost instantly. "But, Aslan, I... I've never had much experience leading before, I mean... I know I led the battle, but... part of that was Ed's doing, I... I did hardly anything, I... I'm not ready to be a High King," he stammered, unsure of how to respond.

"Peace, my son," the lion said, raising his paw and placing it on Peter's shoulder. "You are ready, whether you believe it or not. Yes, indeed, there is much for you to learn, but it is the same way with each of your siblings. You will learn quickly, Peter. You will learn what it means to be a King."

"But what if I'm not a good King?" Peter asked then. "What if I can't take care of Narnia properly? She deserves so much, and I don't think I can give it."

"The care that you give will be enough, Peter, if you believe it to be so," Aslan replied. "You will make mistakes, of course, but there is not one person alive who does everything right the first time. Through the mistakes, you will learn how to be the King that you must be in order to care for Narnia."

"And what about..." Peter stopped. It was a silly question. He shouldn't have even started to ask it.

"Your brother and sisters?" Aslan asked, finishing Peter's thought completely. "Yes, there will be some mistakes there, as well, but nothing that you will be unable to fix, if they are willing to help you. If you care deeply for them, they will return that love. It will be your task to give them the guidance and care that they need, Peter. Can you do that?"

Peter nodded. "I think so, Aslan," he said. "I think so."

"Then that is all I can ask of you, Son of Adam," the lion said next. He began to slowly walk toward the door. Then, he turned around, as if he had forgotten to say something. "By the way, you will find that rest is the best cure that a man can have for just about anything," Aslan added. He smiled at Peter briefly, and then turned and walked out the door.

Peter thought that it was funny that Aslan should mention rest, being that Peter was exceptionally tired right then. Although it was only evening, Peter decided that he was going to get some sleep. He needed that rest to prepare for the excitement of tomorrow. It did sound like quite a good idea.

* * *

Susan was not entirely certain that she wanted to speak with Aslan tonight. She had already spoken with him once before about her future, and even then, she had been far too nervous to even think of speaking. Or, as Aslan had put it, she was _unsettled_. She remembered the words that he had spoken to her that day, when she had doubted herself more than ever before. She wondered if it was possible to be even more unsure of herself now. As she sat and waited for Aslan to come, she wondered if she would be able to say anything at all when he came. 

When, at last, the door opened and the lion came slowly in, Susan wondered if Aslan knew how she was feeling. He did not ask her to come to him, but instead, he approached her. He did not speak boldly or loudly, but instead, when he finally spoke, it was in a soft, quiet tone, which penetrated deeper than any loud words might have gone. He did not push himself at her, but instead, he drew her to him with his words and actions. Perhaps, he did know that Susan was doubtful, and that she didn't need force or pure strength to get through that – she just needs compassion and encouragement.

"Daughter of Eve, you do not feel prepared for the role that you are about to take, am I correct?" Aslan began, not using the same words he had given to Peter and Lucy.

"I suppose not," Susan muttered. She had no better words to say. Her thoughts were still unclear, so putting them into words was unthinkable.

"You will be a Queen of Narnia, child," the lion said to her. "Queens make mistakes. But Queens also know how to fix those mistakes learn from them."

"I know, Aslan," she said. That was only logical, of course. Learning from your mistakes was one of the simplest concepts that Susan knew. It was nothing new to her.

"You will have responsibilities that will take you places you could never dream of," he continued. "You will have to do things that you never would have imagined that you could be capable of doing. You will have to be someone that you never pictured yourself as being. These things will not be easy, but you must learn to overcome them."

"Aslan, what if I cannot do these things?" Susan asked. "What if I fail? What if I cannot be who you... who I want to be? What... what then?"

"It is not wrong to feel afraid, my child," Aslan said then. "But it is wrong to let that fear stop us from doing something that we know is right. For example, you feared losing Peter or Edmund on the battlefield, yet, you let them go. You knew that giving them the chance to fight for Narnia was right, and, despite the pain it caused you and the fear that longed to control you, you let them go. You did more that day then you realize. You let them be free, and though they may not recognize it, you conquered your fears and helped to give Narnia life."

As Aslan reminded her of the fears that she had, Susan realized, and finally understood, what Aslan had meant when he had claimed that she would learn to trust more so than anyone of the others. Throughout her life, she had always proved her love through her logic. Logic was her idea of protection, her way of caring for someone. She showed her love by taking care of people, by controlling the dangers that her loved ones had to face. This was her way of pushing aside the fear and trying to love. But now, Aslan was showing her, in not so many words, that she should show her love, not by taking away the danger, but by letting her loved ones face the dangers that they had to face – by letting them go. She had to learn to trust that the people she loved most were capable of doing great things despite the danger. Her doubt had to be let go so that she could trust wholeheartedly, not only in others, but also in herself. And in that moment, Susan realized that she could do this, if only she allowed herself to let go.

Susan did not realize, though, that through all of these thoughts, the lion was simply standing and waiting for her to finish thinking. As soon as she was done, as if on cue, the lion began to speak again. "Do you understand now, Susan?" he asked, looking at her with gentleness in his eyes.

"I think I do, Aslan," she said. "Finally, I think I do."

"Then you will make a great Queen," he replied. "But first, you must get some rest. You will be glad of it when tomorrow comes." And with that, the great lion turned and left the room.

Susan's mind was filled with many thoughts. But, first and foremost, was the joy that suddenly filled her heart. She now knew what she had to do, and now, she knew that she was prepared to do it – no matter what the cost.

* * *

Edmund was not really afraid to speak with Aslan. He had already met once with the lion, and he had endured. In fact, as he remembered, he had felt better during his time with Aslan than he had felt during most of the rest of the day. He had felt a sort of peace when he talked with Aslan that he had never felt before. And, to be honest, he liked that peace. Yes, Aslan had challenged him, but he had also given him comfort and forgiveness. And now, Edmund was rather looking forward to receiving any advice from the lion that Aslan was willing to give. 

So, when Aslan did finally arrive, Edmund was happy to see him. After getting up from the bed, he wandered over to the lion. He did not place his hands on him, like Lucy had done. He did not feel reluctant to come, like Peter had done. And he did not require Aslan to come to him, as Susan had. Instead, Edmund walked over and stood beside the lion, near him, but not touching him.

"Son of Adam, I am very glad to see that you are well," Aslan began. Unlike with the others, he was not entirely formal, nor entirely informal. He spoke as if he were one of the Narnian generals speaking to their King after a long absence. His voice was calm and peaceful, yet it was at a volume that might be typical of an ordinary greeting. "You have been through much these past days," he added.

"I suppose I have, Aslan," Edmund replied, with an equally reasonable voice.

"But you are well now, correct?"

"I am, thanks to Lucy's wonderful cordial," Edmund replied. "I might have died without it."

"Yes, but you lived, and now, you are to become King," the lion said. "Do you feel prepared for this?"

"Not entirely," Edmund admitted. "But I believe that I could get used to it, once I've actually become King, I mean."

"You certainly could," Aslan told him. "Do you recall, though, the last time you wanted to be King?"

"I do, unfortunately," the boy answered, remembering the reward that he had desired when he committed his betrayal. "Now, I don't so much want to be King. I'd just rather be... Edmund."

"And Edmund you shall remain," the lion said to him. "But Edmund will have to be more than just a boy, of course. He will soon grow into a man, and not only a man, but a King, and a brother."

"Yes, of course," the boy said, more quietly now. "But those aside, will he have to change much?"

"Well, yes, if he wants to do all those things properly, he will certainly have to change, even if just a little," the lion answered. "I do not think that he will be able to remain completely unaltered." Then, the lion added, "For even the boy Edmund has changed since he first arrived." Edmund nodded in agreement. He had changed, hadn't he?

"Do you think I'll be able to do it, Aslan?" Edmund asked, his voice changing from that of a respected friend to that of a normal boy. "Do you think I'll make a good King?"

"I do, if you believe that you will make a good King, my son," Aslan replied. "It is entirely up to you."

Edmund sighed and thought for a moment. "Then, I think I will," he said. Then, with a smile, he laughed a bit. "I'll have to, or Peter'll do absolutely everything, and I don't think I could let him do that."

Aslan laughed, too, when Edmund said this. "Good, Son of Adam," he said. "Do not lose that attitude. But, for now, get some rest. Sleep well, for tomorrow, you shall be a King."

"Good-night, Aslan," Edmund said as the lion turned to go.

"Good-night, Son of Adam," the lion replied. And in a moment, the Son of Adam was left alone again.

* * *

The coronation was due to take place late in the afternoon, perhaps an hour or two before sunset. No one, except for a select few, knew why this time had been selected. Many people thought that the coronation ought to be earlier in the day, perhaps right before noontime, so that the feast would fall on a proper mealtime. Still, the plans were set, and as the children would come to learn, the Narnians do not like to change things if change can be avoided. 

When they met together for breakfast, the children decided that they were going to spend the day out on the beach. They wanted to have one last day just as the Pevensie children before they became Kings and Queens. All day long, they played on the beach. They played every game they could think of at least once or twice. They each made one or two lovely sand castles, all of which were gone by the end of the day. And all day long, none of the children brought up what Aslan had said to them the night before. Those things were for their own ears only, and could be addressed later.

But, each of the children seemed to be different that day. Lucy seemed happier. Peter seemed braver. Susan seemed more affectionate. And Edmund seemed more content. They couldn't explain it, but they all felt different that day. And, for a while, the worries of the coronation faded away.

Late in the afternoon, however, Mrs. Beaver came out to fetch them all. It was time for them to get dressed and ready for the coronation. The children noticed how flustered Mrs. Beaver seemed, and as they followed her back to the castle, they couldn't help but exchange glances and little giggles.

Each child was taken to their own chambers, where a small team of Narnians awaited them. There, each child was given their new robes to wear. The girls received help with their hair, and the boys were let alone for the present. They had already practiced what they were going to do during the ceremony. Only, they hadn't actually been in the Great Hall since they first arrived at Cair Paravel. Even then, they were only allowed a passing glance. They were going to be surprised.

As the time drew closer, people began filing into the Great Hall of Cair Paravel. The centaur soldiers, guards, and officials began lining up with their swords. Horn blowers took their places at the edge of the castle, ready to herald in the new Kings and Queens. And everyone else found themselves a place to stand somewhere in the immense hall. They were very excited about the coronation, and especially the celebration that was scheduled to follow.

The minutes passed, and everyone in the hall grew more and more anxious for the coronation to start. Suddenly, a hush began to come over the crowd. Someone knew that the ceremony was about to start, and gradually, the crowd grew quiet. Horns sounded, and the people turned their heads toward the entrance of the hall. There, the crowd could see four children, dressed up and smiling brightly, and a lion walking in between them. They began to enter the hall and move toward the dais on the opposite end of the hall. As they walked through the hall, the centaurs began to lift their swords, one at a time, when the group passed underneath.

The children could hardly believe their eyes when they saw the Great Hall and all the people that had come to see the ceremony and celebrate with them. They were supposed to keep their eyes looking forward, but Lucy could barely do that. She looked around at all the wonderful things there were to see. It made her heart even lighter than it was already.

When they reached the dais, they stopped for a moment. The children looked up at the four thrones. They were captivated by the view. Slowly, they began, in unison, to walk up the steps. Each child then went to stand in front of the throne that would be theirs. They turned around and watched the lion as he began to speak.

"Loyal citizens, and friends of Narnia, we come together today to celebrate," Aslan began to speak. His voice echoed throughout the hallway, but it seemed to the children as if it cost him no effort. "We come to celebrate not only the crowning of two Kings, and two Queens, but we come also to celebrate the end of an evil era. For one hundred years, Narnia lived under the dominion of the White Witch, Jadis. Now, with the coming of these four children, she is no more. Narnia has been set free by the power of love. And so, today, we come to celebrate the beginning of a new life for everyone." He paused, letting the crowd cheer and applaud as they would. "But first," he continued, when the noise died down a bit, "we must see to the coronation."

With that, Tumnus the faun stepped forward, as did the two good beavers. Each of the beavers held in their hands a small pillow, and on top of each pillow were two crowns. The faun and the beavers stepped up to the top of the dais. Then, Aslan began to speak once again. "To the glistening Eastern sea, I give you Queen Lucy, the Valiant." Tumnus took a small silver crown from Mrs. Beaver's pillow and came over to Lucy. Lucy smiled brightly as she kneeled to let him put the crown on her head. Tumnus himself smiled when she stood up and looked at him.

"To the great Western wood, King Edmund, the Just," Aslan continued. Tumnus took the silver crown from Mr. Beaver's pillow and placed it on Edmund's head. Edmund stood up and gave a faint smile.

"To the radiant Southern sun, Queen Susan, the Gentle," the lion said next. The faun picked up the golden crown from Mrs. Beaver's pillow and came to Susan. With a smile, she accepted the crown placed upon her head.

Then, with a loud, clear voice, Aslan finished, "And to the clear Northern sky, I give you King Peter, the Magnificent." Peter stood up after the last golden crown was placed upon his head. With that, the four children, now Kings and Queens, sat down on their thrones. The lion turned toward them, and with a much softer voice, he said, "Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen. May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the heavens."

Then he turned about again, facing the crowd. And he began a chant that the crowd was soon participating in as well. "Long live King Peter! Long live King Edmund! Long live Queen Susan! Long live Queen Lucy!" For the four children, there was no happier moment that they could recall than the one they had just then. It was greater than a dream come true.

* * *

The celebration that followed was possibly the greatest in Narnian history. Surely, it was the greatest celebration that any of the four children had ever been to. There was more food than they could ever have imagined sitting on the tables. There was beautiful music, laughter, dancing, and anything else you could possibly think of. And everyone was in a simply glorious mood, making the night even more special. 

Peter soon found himself in the middle of the dance floor with a young dryad. He had never met her before, but she was a wonderful dancer. The whole crowd cheered as the new High King learned a thing or two about the proper ways to dance in Narnia. For a while, he wasn't very good. But, as time passed, he found himself getting better and better.

Lucy chose to spend most of her time with Mr. Tumnus, her close friend. She wanted him to play a bit of music for the dancers, but he argued that he didn't have his pipe. She begged and pleaded with him, but he insisted that he had left the pipe back at his home near Western Wood. Finally, Lucy stopped asking him. Instead, she tried to get him to dance with her. That didn't work either, but Lucy didn't press the matter as long this time.

At one point, Lucy found herself meeting some people that had come from the Lone Islands for the coronation. Among them were Lord Cardan of Galma, and his young son, Peridan, who was perhaps a year older than Edmund. Lord Cardan had come to congratulate the four Kings and Queens. Galma had not suffered under the reign of the White Witch, but according to Lord Cardan, they would be happy to be under the guidance of the Narnian Kings and Queens again. Lucy talked to young Peridan for a time. He seemed to be interested in the mainland of Narnia more so than the island of Galma. Lucy told him that he could visit whenever he liked.

After speaking to Lord Cardan and Peridan, Lucy looked around for Aslan. She could not see him anywhere, though. She ran over to the balcony and looked down, where she saw the lion walking along the beach. He was leaving, Lucy realized. He wasn't going to stay with them. She felt suddenly rather sad, because she loved Aslan so dearly.

"Don't worry," a voice said. Lucy turned around and saw Mr. Tumnus standing behind her. "We'll see him again."

"When?" Lucy asked, as the faun stepped forward to stand beside her.

"In time," Tumnus replied. "One day he'll be here, and the next he won't." He placed his hands on the balcony next to Lucy. "But you mustn't press him. After all, he's not a tame lion."

"No," Lucy agreed, "but he is good." She looked away for a moment. Then, she heard Tumnus moving around turned to look at him.

Tumnus pulled out a familiar handkerchief, which she had loaned him again after they had been reunited in the castle. "Here, you need it more than I do," he told her, and he handed it back to her. She smiled for a moment as she remembered the first time that she had met Mr. Tumnus. Then, he put his hand over hers and they looked out to see the lion. But, he had disappeared. Lucy looked up at Mr. Tumnus in shock, and he looked back at her as if to remind her that Aslan could come and go as he pleased. Nonetheless, tears began to flow down Lucy's cheeks. She choked a few back and looked out toward the sunset. Somehow, she knew that she would see Aslan again, in time.

* * *

Back inside, Susan and Edmund had chosen not to dance, but instead to enjoy the good food and the company of the Narnian people. They found their seats and began to eat as much food as they liked. Susan noticed that Edmund still seemed to eat as though he had been starved the day before. She chuckled at this, but Edmund did not notice. He was entirely too busy stuffing his face full of the delicious Narnian dishes. Susan thought that the cooks would be very glad to see this, but she didn't know if they were around. 

"Is there enough food for you, Ed?" she asked at one point, laughing.

His face turned red as she looked at her. He had bits of food hanging out of the corners of his mouth. He swallowed the food quickly before answering. "Yes, there's plenty," he replied.

"Good, I'm glad," she said, laughing again. "You do love this Narnian food, don't you, Ed?"

"I think so, Su," he answered. "It's much different than the food from back home."

Susan stopped laughing for a moment when Edmund said this. She tried, then, to remember what the food had tasted like back home. "Funny, I can't remember what the food tasted like at home," she said. "I've completely forgotten."

"It's only been a week or so, Su," Edmund replied. "And only a few days ago did you forget about your desire to go back. You can't have forgotten already."

"I remember some," she told him. "I remember that the food was blander, because we had to ration it, remember? I just can't remember the taste."

"It doesn't matter, Susan," Edmund answered. "Now, you'll only have to eat from the good Narnian food, right?"

"You are right, Edmund," she said. "It doesn't do me much good to try and remember, does it?"

"Not really," Edmund said. Then he began to eat again, but this time, Susan could tell that he was purposely eating slower. He was obviously embarrassed by his previous eating habits, and didn't want his sister to laugh at him again.

* * *

A short time later, Susan and Edmund found themselves no longer at the dining tables, but instead beside the dance floor, watching Peter and his dryad friend. Lucy and Tumnus had come and were now dancing, as well. Tumnus had agreed to dance with Lucy, as he felt pity on the girl for having to watch Aslan go. So, now they were dancing, too, rather badly. Both Susan and Edmund laughed as they watched them. 

"Has Lucy ever been taught to dance?" Edmund asked partway through one of the dances.

"She learned a bit about dancing at home, from me," Susan replied. "But she wouldn't know any Narnian dances."

"And Mr. Tumnus wouldn't know any of the dances from home," Edmund added. "They make quite the pair, don't they?"

"Yes, you're right," Susan said, laughing.

"Peter's nearly got it," Edmund said then. "He's learning fast, I think."

"He's got that dryad to help him," Susan told him. "She's more likely a better teacher than Mr. Tumnus. She would have been the one dancing, not the one playing the music."

"You're right this time, Su," Edmund said, laughing along with her.

While they spoke, they had no idea that a murmur had been growing among the crowds surrounding the dance floor. As they finished speaking, they both finally noticed, and they looked at each other in surprise. Peter and the dryad, and Lucy and Tumnus were now the only pairs in the center of the dance floor. The crowd had seen Susan and Edmund standing there, and wanted all of their new Kings and Queens to dance. Now, the whole crowd seemed to be encouraging Edmund to take Susan out to the center and dance with her.

"They want us to dance," Susan said to Edmund. "What do you think about that?"

"I think that I should say this," Edmund began. He stepped forward, bowed, and extended his hand to Susan. "My Queen, may I have this dance?"

She laughed, but after giving her own slight bow, she took his hand. "You may, my King," she replied. With that, the two siblings stepped out into the middle of the dance floor and began to try their hand at dancing.

"I must admit, I really don't know much about dancing," Edmund whispered as they moved.

"That's all right," she answered. "You have plenty of time to learn."

"And you expect me to learn to dance?" he asked, smiling at her. "I have better things to do with my time."

"And dancing isn't included among those things?" Susan asked, pretending to be completely shocked. "I'm disappointed in you, Edmund, I thought you would know better."

"I'm very sorry about that, Su," he replied. "Maybe, just for you, I'll practice." He stopped, then he quickly added, "But only if you'll be my teacher, Su."

This time, Susan spoke seriously. "But Ed, I don't know any proper Narnian dances. I have to learn them for myself."

"We'll learn those dances together," Edmund replied. "But I want you to teach me the dances from back home."

"But what if I forget how to do those dances, Ed? What then?"

"Well, you'd better teach me soon, so that we can both always remember," Edmund answered. "And, if one of us forgets, the other can do the reminding."

"Very well, my King, as you wish," Susan replied.

"Why so formal, my Queen?"

"No reason, Ed," she answered, laughing. She suddenly realized that she had forgotten they were dancing. The whole room had disappeared, and they had just kept moving without thinking. This was a good thing. "You'll be a good dancer, yet."

"Thank you, Susan," he said. Just then, the music stopped. The dancers stopped with it, and they bowed to the crowds, who cheered wildly for their Kings and Queens. With that, Susan and Edmund left the dance floor. They went over to the tables to find something to drink. Susan poured a glass for each of them, and she handed one of the glasses to Edmund. She held up her glass, as if to propose a toast.

"Remember today, little brother," she said. "Today, life is good."

* * *

_**  
Author's Notes:** And here is the final chapter of Volume 1 - Brother and Sister. Thank you all for sticking around to read the end of it. If, one day, I continue to write Volume 2,3, and more, than I will post here. However, I somehow doubt that that will happen. _

_Once, again, I had a bunch of smaller parts in this chapter. Some of it is primarily filler - such as when they are all on the beaches playing all day. That's not really important. But, each of their individual talks with Aslan would have some application to future volumes, if I were to write them. As it is, I hope you enjoyed the sections._

_Thank you, once again, for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. To Aminuleen, my devoted reviewer, I commend you for all your work. Keep the Ed/Su ship alive, my friend. And good day to you all!_

_P.S. For those of you who are LotR fans, I hope you noticed my little allusion there at the end. I just had to use that quote._


End file.
